


Soft Things Don't Last In This Place

by happinessfordeeppeople (Aura0190)



Category: Darkwood (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Blood, POV First Person, Touch-Starved, canon compliant deaths, everyone just needs a little comfort, i'll add more tags about that if anyone wants but... yeah they eventually do it, liberties were taken with the strangers backstory but nothing huge, like there's description of violence and death but I never go too much into details, there's fluff in this too tho, we embrace the dark woods in this fic, yeah there's a happy ending on this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:01:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 44,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29094681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aura0190/pseuds/happinessfordeeppeople
Summary: The woods have taken everything away from the Stranger, so it's no wonder that when a small bit of comfort is offered he takes it, even if it comes from a rather unexpected source. How much will this new arrangement change the both of them in the end? Only time will tell.
Relationships: Wolfman (Darkwood)/The Stranger (Darkwood)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	Soft Things Don't Last In This Place

**Author's Note:**

> Does writing this make me a furry now? Idk. It just popped into my mind after playing the game twice and it wouldn't let go, I had to write it. Anyway, you're here too, so you know what you want XD Enjoy. There's art in the end.

The logs of wood were rough on my hands as I picked them up the wet ground, the boards I turned them into were also hard and full of splinters. The nails I used to pin them to the doors and windows were rusty and prickly, as was the shovel I carried with me.

My own hands were lumpy and callused, covered up in bloody bandages most of the time.

Soft things were long gone, soft things die in the dark woods. Sometimes if I closed my eyes, I could remember a soft, warm bed, gentle light coming through the window, a warm body next to mine, and soft silk hair between my fingers.

But those were someone else’s memories, some other man, some other life. What I had become then didn’t deserve softness, I would only break them, soiled them with my dirty hands. Or so I thought…

It all happened because I got too greedy. There was a locked crate in the Old Forest and I needed a wire to make a lock-pick, only I had used all of my own. But I knew the Wolfman would carry at least one on him. So, I made my way through the forest, expertly dodging the dogs and red chompers, making it in good time to the Wolfman’s camp in the Silent Forest. Only to find it empty.

It was a rare enough occurrence that it put me on alert but looking around I found no trace of the Wolf. Figuring I could wait for a couple of minutes, I sat on the log, only to notice one of the crates next to me was unlocked. Maybe the Wolfman left in a hurry and didn’t close it properly, maybe he just forgot. Curiosity won the better of me and I walked over and opened the lid.

I shouldn’t have been surprised at the number of guns in it, after all, it was the man’s trade but still, there were so many and so much ammo that I couldn’t resist reaching out to take one. I grabbed an assault rifle, checked its weight and magazine. I could have survived so much better in the woods with one of those. But I couldn’t just take it, could I? He would surely scent it was me who took it.

I was considering what to do when the hair in the back of my neck stood up. I turned around quickly only to find the Wolfman staring at me from the edge of the camp, he carried a couple of rabbits in his hand and bared his large teeth in a menacing growl.

I immediately dropped the gun in the box, lifting my hands in a gesture of surrender and shaking my head in hopes of convincing him I hadn’t taken anything from the crate. But it was too late, the Wolf dropped the rabbits and charged at me full speed on all fours. It was a terrifying sight and all I could do was dodge the first strike and run as fast as I could.

What followed was a frantic chase round the forest, running between the trees, avoiding poisonous mushrooms, dodging sharp claws by millimeters all the while trying not to lose my way in the dark.

At first, all I could hear behind me was the rabid growls and sharp claws, but as the game of cat and mouse continued, I began to hear manic laughter coming from the Wolfman.

Finally, the hunt came to an end as the Wolf tackled me to the ground and we both rolled down a small hill, hitting plenty of roots and rocks but miraculously avoiding any mushrooms. I landed in a bunch of fallen leaves, the Wolf pinning me to the ground, still laughing, sharp rows of teeth in full display.

“Oh Meat, I hadn’t had that much fun chasing prey in months now! What a treat that was!” he said between breaths. “They are always so easy. So dull. No challenge. But you Meat, you sure can run, can’t you?”

I struggled to breathe because of the weight of him, I hoped his laughter meant he wouldn’t kill me, but the man was as unpredictable as the animal he had become, so it could have gone either way.

The fall had been messy and my hat had ended up somewhere in the leaves, but that was not the only thing missing. For as long as I had known the Wolfman, I had only ever seen him with his hood up, now it had fallen down in the scuffle and I could see them, pointy, triangular ears covered in soft fur.

Sure, I was well aware the man had mutated into what could only be described as a humanoid wolf, sharp teeth, long snout, even a tail that so far I hadn’t gotten a good look at either. But for some reason, I hadn’t ever thought about his ears, and they looked… well they looked charming, which was not an adjective I thought I would ever use to describe the creature.

Before the forest, the man I used to be had liked dogs. I had one, Szurek. He used to keep me company on the couch when I couldn’t sleep at night. I patted his head and scratched his ears as I calmed down from bad dreams.

So maybe it was some sort of old instinct that made me, against my better judgment and common sense, lift my hand and reach out to touch the Wolf’s ears. And oh, they were soft, so soft…

The man above me instantly ceased his laughter, tensing up and opening his eyes wide. It took me out of my trance and I slowly pulled my hand away. But then I saw it, an almost unperceivable movement, the Wolf had tilted his head to the left, closer to my hand, still up in the air between us.

He stared at me with attention, one wrong move and I would feel his sharp teeth. But his ears were not flattened against his head, nor was he growling, so I took the chance.

The short fur of his ear was short and warm, I gently rubbed it, careful not to pull on it and when no bite or growl came my way, I moved my hand back to scratch behind his ear.

I’m not sure how long this lasted, probably a handful of minutes only, but when I looked back at the Wolf’s face I noticed his eyes were closed and his mouth slightly open. I was sure that if he had been a cat and not a wolf, he would have been purring in satisfaction.

It was then that I noticed his tail, it had always been hidden behind his large coat but it had slipped free and as swinging from side to side, a clear sign of enjoyment.

I must have stopped scratching upon seeing it, because the Wolf opened his eyes and caught me staring, which immediately made him growl and stand up as fast as lighting. Leaving me laying there on the ground with my hand clutching air. He looked furious, standing above me, trembling in anger.

“What the fuck are you looking at?! Get out of my sight! You’re lucky I don’t end your pathetic life this second!” he screamed at me, covering his head back up, ears flat on his head. “And don’t even dare to touch me again!”

I hurried up, grabbed my hat and ran as fast as I could, nightfall was upon me anyway and I barely made it to my hideout in time.

I figured my dealings with the Wolf were as good as gone. No way he would help me now, but two days later I took a dose of mushroom essence and had a mad dream.

There was a church, a trapdoor, and a black chomper… I ran, but I wasn’t fast enough.

I woke up on the floor, my body trembling, I looked up only to find the Wolf staring down at me.

“Meat, what’s with the big eyes?” he laughed. “Scared? Bad dream?”

He winked at me, baring his teeth slightly. My heart still felt like it was about to run out of my chest but he was a welcomed sight. There’s a sense of calm you get from knowing nothing will try to kill you while there’s another predator in the room.

I got up, putting my hands in my pockets and found the strange box I had grabbed in the dream. It made no sense but neither did most things in the woods back then. The Wolf saw it and I handed it over, he took it, sniffing it from all angles and I could hear his tail moving in excitement under his coat.

“Oh, it’s one of these…” he said, clearly interested in its contents but trying to sound indifferent about it.

He proceeded to give me a whole speech about why I should give him the key to open it if I found it, which was obviously a plot to keep its contents but I was only half-listening, trying to figure out why he was there in the first place.

I took the box back when he gave it to me, my hands were still trembling. He sniffed the air, looking at me with squinting eyes, I remembered something about animals not liking eye contact so I stared at his coat, at the dark red bullet hole in it. I wondered who it belonged to before, a perfect shot like that, they were surely dead.

“He didn’t need it anymore. The useless fucker I got it from. Wouldn’t have lasted a day in my forest anyway,” he said following my train of thought. “At least I took mine from a man, Meat. You look like you stole yours from a scarecrow.”

He said this sniffing, taking a step closer and forcing me against the oven. I didn’t remember where I got my clothes from… I tried to recall but it was all a blur. I liked them though… I needed them. The hat kept the light and rain away from my face, the scarf covered my ugly face and kept me warm. I had gotten used to it, wore them like an armor…

The Wolf sniffed me, too close for comfort given our previous interaction, so I tried moving away but heard a low growl come out of his throat. It was a clear warning so I stayed still.

He huffed on my face, a half laugh that made my hat fall back and made me recall the children’s story of the three little pigs. 《I’ll huff and I’ll puff and blow your house down…》

It was about control, about dominance. I had taken something without permission before. He was saying, you’re this close only because I want you to be. I could kill you if I wanted to. Of that, I was well aware. It was a dangerous game, but not more so than anything else I did in the forest.

So I took a deep breath and leaned my head to the side, submission was the only option I had left. The wolf bared his teeth, his breath still smelling of a fresh kill.

“You’re playing with fire, Meat. But I like your spirit… hehe,” suddenly the Wolf grabbed my wrists with his big paws, sharp claws piercing my skin, he buried his snout on the crook of my neck and rubbed his fur against my skin. It was wet and dirty, but soft.

I felt a chill go down my spine and the Wolf smiled, licking his lips and nipping at the skin of my neck with his fangs before pulling back and letting me go.

He laughed, a content growl coming from deep on his chest, then grabbed my hat and placed it forcefully on my head.

“If you wish to explore more of this interesting development of ours Meat, you’ll have to visit my home next time,” he said grabbing my map and pointing to the Barn Ruins. “Here, where you’ve drawn all the little dogs. At the far end of the building. Good luck getting through though, you mustn’t kill any of the mutts or I’ll be pissed. Got it? I might just give you a reward if you make it.” 

I nodded, I had walked past the place before, but I hadn’t dared enter. Too many dogs, but now the invitation was made it felt more like an obligation, or at the very least, a challenge.

This is why I ended up standing at the edge of the forest, staring at the wrecked barn, looking for a way in. I scouted different paths but the less dangerous one was a path on the right side of the complex, where I found a barricaded door. I knew I could break it down with a few hits but I stood there thinking of why I was really there.

The Wolf was dangerous and his morals were clearly lacking, I shouldn’t have prolonged our interactions more than was necessary, and yet… he did hint at a reward and I was curious about the place.

So I cracked the door open and walked into a dark passage that led me to the back of the building. I opened the door and was instantly hit with the smell of rotten wood and dry blood. It was so dark I could barely see but I spotted two figures on a couch and one of them moved up to greet me.

“Ah! Meat, you made it! I thought I heard the mutts causing a ruckus. I see you got through the barricade, you’ll have to fix that before leaving,” the Wolf said glancing behind me. “What do you think of my humble abode?”

I tried to look around but it was all shadows, so I pocked at his shoulder to get his attention and pointed to my eyes.

“Oh, I forget your pathetic eyes can’t see in the dark,” he smirked and went away, further into the house. A moment later I heard the sound of a generator kicking in and the lights turned on. Christmas lights to be precise. And I finally took in the shapes that spread around the house. People, their skin at least, stuffed like animals, like a proud hunter… It was disturbing, but not more than everything else I had seen in the forest. I was aware though, that anyone else but me would have likely run out of there in a heartbeat.

“Come, meet everyone, get comfortable. But not too comfortable,” the Wolf said coming back inside.

I looked around and finally took a seat on the sofa. It was hard and smelled of moisture, but I didn’t mind. The lights were not bad and I wondered where he got them from. The image of him taking the time and effort to hang and arrange them made for a funny picture.

“I see you still don’t make for a good conversation, Meat,” he said looking down at me, seemingly thinking for a moment before taking off his hood and sitting next to me. "I would play the gracious host and offer you something to eat but you don't eat do you?".

I shook my head and tried to make the shape of a mushroom with my hands.

"Mushrooms, uh? Yes, I've seen your oven. There are some growing in the back building, I'll let you have them if you behave," he said moving closer and pushing my hat back with his muzzle, he flicked his tongue very close to my ear. "You may touch, I won't bite, not unless you annoy me, hehe"

I wasn’t sure what it was he wanted from me, but I tentatively reached forward, burying my hands on the thick fur of his neck. He tensed at first but then relaxed back down, putting more of his weight on me, pushing me against the back of the sofa. He placed his snout on my shoulder, letting out a content growl.

I reckoned he was seeking contact. Wolves are not dogs, they don't crave affection or approval the way they do, but they are pack animals, so are humans in fact, they need to make connections and receive physical contact. I figured I must have triggered a buried need in the other man, and one in myself as well, since the soft fur in my hands felt better than I could have predicted.

I caressed the hair, eliciting low groans from the Wolf, and moved upwards, scratching his cheeks and then behind his ears, I saw his tail begin to move again but looked away before he noticed. He began to nuzzle me, rubbing his face against my cheeks and neck, pushing my scarf away. This time was my turn to tense up.

I was perfectly aware of how hideous I had become, the disease making my hair fall off, wrinkling my skin, and crippling my joints, making every movement a chore. It was as if the ugliness inside of me was pulled out for everyone to see. It was a fitting punishment, for what I had done.

The Wolf was not doing great either, he might have been relatively healthy compared to the rest of the inhabitants of the forest, but his breath was nauseous after feeding and more often than not he drooled on things, although I sometimes wondered if it was not on purpose just to annoy me. But still... I wondered why would anyone want to be that near me?

"Are you getting shy on me, Meat?" he laughed and I looked away. "Oh, Meat. There's no point in hiding that disaster of a face you have from me! I don't mind, us mutants have to stick together. Besides you're not here for your lousy looks, you're here for your hands, fucked up as they are, they still reach just the right spots..."

None of that made me feel any better, but he was right about one thing, we would do well in sticking together. A partnership, even one as flimsy and unbalanced as that, might just be what got me through the forest alive.

I must have thought about it too long because the next thing I knew, he was putting his paws around my throat. There was no real pressure but I felt his claws scratching my skin.

"Dear Meat... Would you be so kind as to move your fucking hands and get back to it? Or perhaps you would prefer to give the pooches outside a turn? I can't guarantee you'll have hands by the end of it though. Hehehe."

I sighed, shook my head, and resumed my work. If you could call it that... The Wolf was clearly enjoying it and I couldn't deny it wasn’t unpleasant. He was resting fully on top of me by then, sprawled on the sofa, his weight was comforting and the movement of his breathing put me at ease.

It should have felt wrong, or weirder than it did... He wasn’t a dog, he was a man, or at least he used to be one. But instincts are stronger than logic, especially in the survival mode the forest had placed me in. Soft things were gone in the dark woods, the only thing left was soft warm fur, that smelled of wet soil and dry blood. I took what I could get.

The Wolf moved his head this way and that way, nuzzling me, he had his paws on my chest, where he did small scratching motions now and then. I wondered how voluntary those were. As time passed I heard him breathing slower, making small sort of snoring sounds. I envied his tranquility, I was not exactly afraid of him anymore, but I couldn’t fully relax either.

I looked at my watch and realized it was already pretty late and I should get going if I wanted to make it back to the Silent Forest, because I sure as hell was not spending the night in the Old Forest.

I tapped at the Wolf's shoulder and watched as he frowned and slowly opened his eyes. I pointed at my watch.

"Hmmm... Time to go back to your den? I still don't get why you need that wretched oven of yours but have it your way," he said getting up, I instantly found myself missing the warmth but shook it off quickly.

I fixed my scarf and hat back on and then watched him stretch, lifting his head, snout to the sky, the way dogs do, it was just a little bit funny. He looked relaxed, so I guessed job well done.

"I suppose you want your reward..." he said, remaining silent for a moment, then his eyes opened wide in a split-second, he smiled and continued. "Follow me, I'll take you to the mushrooms."

Nothing good could come from that, but I followed. "They're through there, it's a bit dark though, be careful," he said pointing to the building right next to his, urging me to open a locked door.

So I did, gun at the ready, and cautiously peeked inside, but I was immediately surprised by the rabid barking of a huge hound. I fell back on my ass, scrambling away, luckily there was a big crate blocking his way so he couldn’t reach me.

I heard the Wolf laughing, and turned to glare at him.

"Oh relax, Meat! It was just a funny prank between comrades! He won't hurt you while I'm here," he said easily moving the crate away. The hound backed away growling, but one answering growl from his master and he bowed down whimpering.

I got up and scrambled past them, the place reeked of rotten wood and dog feces, it was really dark but with a flashlight, I made quick work of finding the mushrooms and harvested them. I saw sickly thin dogs and others bulging fat, I wanted to ask about them but there was no time.

I went back out and the Wolf closed the door behind me, he was still giggling, the bastard...

I went through the house, back to the door I barged into before.

"You have to board it back up. Here," he said handing me some nails and wooden boards. "Then run home, Meat. You might just make it in time. Hehehe."

As I struggled back home, dodging enemy after enemy, I noticed a most curious thing, all hounds that spotted me growled and made to chase me, only to stop halfway. They sniffed the air, mouths open and retreated whimpering. Later, while I waited for whatever monsters decided to crawl into my hideout at night, I realized it was probably the Wolf's scent they're picking up. And just like that, the arrangement between us turned infinitely more appealing.

All that mattered was getting out of the forest, by any means necessary. The Wolf was an ally, not a friend. We were comrades, as he called me often. And the intimacy was just a favor, an exchange, a currency...

Two days later I found the village he mentioned to me before. It was a bleak place, mud, and gravel all around. The villagers were rude and all a little bit mad. I understood it was mostly the fear and hunger speaking, but they still bred nothing but contempt from me. I saw why the Wolf hated them.

They wanted the Sow to give them more pigs. I had been to the pig farm; I had seen the wretched creature... I stood in the dark, watching her squeal and scramble in the filth, and I wished to end her suffering.

From the Chicken Lady, I learned the sad story of Hanuska, of how the villagers, her own neighbors, took her infected child away and burned her house with her husband in it. I saw her child in the caves down the well, I didn't kill it... I saw her sitting on the ruins of her old home, I heard her whisper. It was no secret, who had the missing cables of the pig farm. I understood why she did it, I would have done it too.

More importantly, I found the key everyone wanted. I stood in the empty room, looking at it in a drawer. I pushed it back closed, leaving it there.

I couldn't enter the room on the Chicken lady's house, but I peeked through the window. If that truly was a woman, it sure as hell wasn’t then... Her breathing sounded painful, I wondered what kind of life that really was.

She was my ticket out, but I still didn’t find it in me to handle her life into the hands of any of those men... So, in the meantime, I pretended I never saw it.

I found a shortcut through some huge holes in the ground and made it back to my hideout in no time. I was carrying a bunch of useful stuff I found in the village and headed to the workbench room to drop it off. But once I turned the corner, I was surprised to find the Wolf standing there, waiting for me.

He smiled a knowing grin, walking towards me, sniffing the air. I was suddenly afraid he would know exactly what I did, what I was keeping from him.

"There you are, Meat. I see you went to the village; nasty place isn't it?" he said standing in front of me, he looked at my coat and frowned. "You're covered in dirt, Meat. Are you trying to be a mole now?"

He grabbed me by the coat, pulling me forward, and started shaking me and patting on my clothes, releasing a cloud of dirt and dust. He was a little more forceful than necessary, but I appreciated it none the less.

"There, good as new. Well... as good as you're gonna get. Hehehe."

Both of us awkwardly stood on the door for a second before he huffed, annoyed, "Are we going to go inside or are we just staying here till night comes down on us?"

I shook my head and went inside, waving him in. I began to sort through the stuff I gathered from the village. I saw him take off his hood and walk further inside the house, sniffing the air around him.

I suddenly remembered the traps behind the door he was going to walk through, and I was slightly tempted to let him get nicked by them, but then he would be in a mood... So, since I couldn’t call out to him, I threw a small rock to his back.

He turned around with an offended look on his face and bared fangs, I tried an appeasing hand gesture and pointed to the floor at the door.

His ears went up and he turned around opening the door and glancing down. He kneeled and began to disassemble the trap. I saw his tail moving under his coat, he gathered the leftover pieces and handled them over to me.

He didn’t thank me and I obviously didn't expect him to, but I did see some sort of appreciation on his shiny eyes.

Once I finished with my inventory, I headed back to find him sitting on the sofa, cleaning his gun.

"Took you long enough! Did you steal the whole village?" he exclaimed, annoyed. "I'm surprised they didn't chase you out of the place like they do me. Made some friends?"

I could have been mistaken, but he sounded a bit jealous, of who though, I wasn’t sure. I sat down, shook my head and pointed to my face.

"Too afraid of your ugly mug, were they?" he grinned leaning closer. "Their loss then, Meat. That means more quality time with me! Aren't you lucky?"

And truth be told... He wasn’t wrong. If I had to choose between the villagers and him for company, I would have definitely picked him. There was something off about those people... They looked and felt like they were one event away from going mad... feral even. Like those savages with their rocks and sticks. Some of them were even already infected! So yes, his company was preferable.

I nodded and saw him grin and lick his snout.

"Did you find the old hag who reeks of chickens?" he asked, lips curling.

I grimaced and nodded again.

"I see she didn't manage to deceive you with kind words. I'm glad, Meat. I would have been very disappointed if you took her side," he said, putting his gun away and turning in a way that left us pressing together on the sofa, his back to my chest.

I took the hint and started scratching what fur I could get my fingers on.

"No key though? Hmm... You better keep looking," he grumbled, closing his eyes.

While I worked, I thought about the Wolf's true identity. I believed there to be a connection between him and the Huntsman, that maybe he was at least part of him and a wolf. And the Pretty Lady, who had everyone pinning for her, was somehow close to the other man. But it wasn't official, at least not by the time the outbreak occurred. After all, he wanted was to have her. Her sister was tight-lipped about her. As if she wanted to keep her hidden, and I was not sure if it was for her own good or not. The shape under those sheets, that room... Existence like that seemed more punishment than protection.

And yet the Wolf's unhealthy obsession with her sickened me. Then there was the little musician... I pitied the poor boy, but I was not even considering giving the key to him. First I was sure the woman didn't even know him back then, and second I didn’t want him to draw the rage of the Wolf. I wasn’t sure what to do.

I had a woman in my life once. In the life of the other man... I should have wanted to get back to her, but that's not the desire that kept me alive. Even before, she was never my priority. That was my job. The one I was paying for in that wretched place.

The Wolf stirred under my touch, leaning his head back and letting me scratch under his chin. He was ridiculously trusting when you think about it. Technically I could have pulled a knife and kill him, but he was sure that I wouldn’t. Likely because I needed him to reach the doctor.

I scratched his face as softly as I could manage, brushing my fingers through his short brown fur. I saw him frown, sniffing the air.

"You still smell like chickens, and not in the good, cooked, way... I hate those birds," he said nipping my fingers with more care than one would have thought it possible from him.

I thought about it for a second, an idea popping into my head., something that might make for a good distraction.

I tapped on his shoulder so he would turn to look at me, and id an eating motion, pointing at him. The Wolf tilted his head, considering.

"You're shit at charades, Meat. Are you asking if I eat chicken?" he asked and I nodded. "Of course I do. What kind of question is that? The only reason I'm not gorging myself in them is because I'm not allowed in the village."

I nodded again, thoughtful, then pointed at myself.

"Yes, I know you can go in! What about it?" he said exasperated, then stopped, his eyes wide. "Wait... Meat, are you trying to say you'll steal a chicken?"

I nodded and grinned when I felt his tail wagging against the sofa. The Wolf quickly tampered down his enthusiasm, growling.

"Don't get so cocky, Meat. You haven't pulled the heist yet. You'll have to bring it alive; I want to kill it myself."

I agreed, resuming my petting and getting a pleased growl in return. I thought that with any luck, the petty crime would keep his mind out of the key for a while.

I kept scratching and petting him, up until it was close to nightfall. He stayed still, with his eyes closed, but I could tell he was not really asleep.

I nudged him to indicate the time, but he didn’t move. I flicked his ears and he snapped his jaws in annoyance.

"Don't do that again, if you wish to keep your fingers, Meat. What is it? Time for bed?" he said lifting himself back up.

I nodded, pointing to the traps and barricaded windows.

"Ah! Preparations are in order I see..." he turned to look back at me, grinning. "If you don't mind, Meat, I think I'll be staying the night today."

I was surprised, but definitely curious. I had no idea if he needed sleep, but I had often wondered how the other man survived nightfall all alone in the woods. And whether or not other creatures had the guts to go after him. I figured at least dogs and hounds wouldn’t be a problem that night.

I shrugged and began getting ready, I checked on the state of all the barricades, placed on some traps, and lit up the generator. When I came back inside and boarded the door up, I found him still comfortably sitting on the couch. I sighed and set myself up to wait for whatever would come for me that night.

The first wave were holes in the ground, from which huge bugs crawled out of. The Wolf didn’t move a finger to help me there, he only giggled, watching me run around the room and killing them.

"What a good exterminator you are, Meat," he teased me. I huffed in annoyance and he laughed.

Then there was the loud sound of something trying to break the barricaded main door. I had traps on the doorway, so those would hold anything back, but I still got ready for a fight. I didn’t wish to waste ammo so I took out my shovel.

The Wolf didn’t move, but from the corner of my eye, I saw him flatten his ears back and show his teeth.

The door broke and a savage man barged inside, but then he predictably tripped a bear trap and I could finish him off easily. But the door was wrecked and before I managed to board it back up another Savage with a stick pushed me back inside, making his way in.

I pulled out my gun and aimed, but I was pushed aside by the Wolf before I could pull the trigger. He got between the two of us and forcefully grabbed the stick the man was wielding, pulling him forward and biting his neck.

It was not a nice sight. I heard the sound of crushed bones and there was blood everywhere. The Wolf opened his jaws back up, releasing his prey and the lifeless body hit the floor with a thud.

I stared at him for a moment, there was a satisfied smile on his face, his mouth dripping with blood. I wasn’t horrified, I got the distinct feeling I should have been. But then again, even the man I was before had dubious morals... Things that others found... unsavory, just seemed like rightful measures to me. Perhaps that was what made men like both of us fit to survive in the woods. After all, the hunter had just used another weapon he had available, his deadly sharp teeth, and it sure was efficient.

He was staring at me as if he was trying to gauge my reaction to the slaughter. I simply moved past him, to barricade the door before another monster came inside. Before closing it though, I saw, far in the edge of the forest, three pairs of red glowing eyes. They were hungry dogs, just sitting there. I saw them smell the air, picking up on my scent but they didn’t move closer because they knew the Wolf was inside.

I was just the tiniest bit relieved, for even if I didn’t need sleep, I was dreadfully tired of fighting those things all the time. And I liked dogs, I was glad if I didn’t have to kill another ever again.

I closed the door and boarded it up, walking back to the living room. The Wolf was standing over the savage man's corpse, searching through his pockets for any loot. It was fair since it was his kill.

He came out empty-handed though, other than the stick there was nothing of worth on him.

He turned to look at me, I pointed between the gun in my hand and the dead body at my feet.

"Oh, yes I know you had it under control, Meat. But why waste the bullets if I'm here, with my perfectly sharp teeth?" he said with a grin that showed all of them.

I shook my head and huffed in resignation, pulling a piece of fabric out of my pocket. I got into the Wolf's space, grabbing his chin and dabbing the cloth around to wipe away some of the blood that was dripping onto my floor.

He made to move away at first, but I held my ground, giving him a look. I knew the other man appreciated people having a backbone. The Wolf kept his ears flat and his muzzle was furrowed, but he stood still and let me move his head one way and the other. Once he was sufficiently clean I stepped back and watched him lick his lips.

"Does the sight of blood disturb you, Meat? Now, I've seen you use that gun," he said pointing to the pistol on my hip. "You know your way around them and you don't mind the killing."

I shook my head and pointed to the bloody floorboards.

"Ah I see, it's the mess that bothers you. Bad for you since there's lots of "mess" in these woods. Hehehe. That's another difference between us, I enjoy the hunt and the kill, always preferred the outdoors than those crowded cities..." he said with disdain. "But you were one of THEM weren't you? Of those people who came to this place and poked at things you should have left alone..."

Previously I wondered if he knew…. I nodded, if he was mad about it he didn’t show it. I saw his left ear twitch and heard sounds of something walking outside the hideout.

"Fucked you over good though, I bet you're regretting ever setting foot in this place..." he laughed getting my attention back. "It's why you want that key the quack doctor took, right? Oh don't give me that look, I don't blame you. Why would I? I like it here, you lot set me free, now I can be what I always was, a hunter. Not like those poor bastards driven mad by the voices or them villagers trying to hold on to the past. There ain't no going back, key or no key..."

I heard the grunting of another Savage man outside, followed by the bark of hounds, who by the sound of it, tore the man apart.

"You're welcome," he said with a devilish grin.

The hounds were certainly useful, thanks to the Wolf's presence they took out any other intruder that stepped into my land. I began to understand why he took residence in that building on the far end of the breeding compound.

"Now, if you don't mind, I think I'll have a little nap," he said after he helped me push the bodies to a far corner.

I watched him stretch himself on the sofa, paws crossed over his stomach. There was still a couple of hours before sunrise, so I walked over and sat on the chair.

That time he did fall asleep. I found it strange, how the infection had affected us all in different ways. Taking pieces of ourselves and gruesomely blending them into something new. I wondered what exactly I was becoming then... I wasn’t sure. I recalled the tree... The texture of its bark, wet soil, and white goo. I couldn’t remember anything else. Why mushrooms? Why the hunger for them? Why was I gaining skills after injecting them on myself...?

I wasn’t a scientist; I was a soldier. I was in no position to study the phenomenon that had occurred. I only had to watch them, to keep tabs on the area's inhabitants, to gather information. To come back alive... Shitty job I did…

Night drifted away as I watched the Wolf sleep. I envied him, because of that at sunrise I decided to wake him up by loudly taking off the barricades. I watched him jump in surprise at the sound, then softly growl in my direction. I chuckled, or at least tried to, and arranged my scarf and hat back on.

When I reached the workbench room, I found the Trader already there. He waved me good morning as always but then froze when he saw the Wolf walk in behind me.

I was about to try to convince him it was okay, when I heard the Wolf growl. A loud thing that time, a clear threat.

The Trader rushed outside and I turned to glare at the Wolf. He was the picture of animosity, his ears were pinned back, his muzzle furrowed, showing his sharp fangs and his back is hunched slightly forward, as if ready to pounce over his prey.

I waved my arms in front of him, getting his attention, and grabbed the closest thing I could find, which happened to be a battery. I moved it between the Trader outside and myself, trying to communicate to him that I exchanged goods with the man.

The Wolf looked between the both of us and slowly calmed down, he straightened back up, still glaring at the frightened man outside.

"Yes Meat, I know what he does for a living. Scavenging through the trash, selling what he finds. I still think it very rude to step into a man's house unannounced, don't you?" he growled not taking his eyes off him.

I would have liked to point out that he did the same thing a couple of days before, but it didn't seem like the right thing at the moment. So, I shook my head and pointed to the stuff laying around on my workbench.

"Hmm. Yes, I suppose you do need to get rid of all that junk somehow...." he said looking at the mess, then back at me.

He gave me a strange look, from head to toe and back. I got the feeling he was making some sort of decision and began dreading the outcome.

I had little warning of what was coming and was hopeless to do anything as he grabbed me by the arms, clutching me tight with his claws, and pulled me forward into his space.

He forcefully nuzzled my face and neck, one side then the other, and then licked my cheek, pushing me back grinning.

"Tonight's been fun, Meat. Looking forward to next time," he said putting back his hood and fixing his gun onto his back. "Don't get killed out there. Oh, and I'll be expecting that bird, comrade."

The Wolf winked at me, baring his teeth slightly and headed out the door, but not before snapping his jaws at the Trader, who took one step back for good measure.

Once he was out of sight the Trader moved closer, he took out a piece of charcoal and started writing on his palm.

"What are you doing with that monster? He's dangerous!" he said, looking distressed even through his helmet.

I point to my several guns, annoyed that people seemed intend in underestimating me. I was dangerous too; they would have done well in remembering that.

The Trader shook his head, shoulders sagging and wrote another line.

"I hope you know what you're doing, brother. He's not like us. We need to stick together."

I wasn’t sure about that... From my blurry memories and the strange sense of familiarity I got from him, I could tell he was an "outsider" too. He and I might have been part of the same organization but I wasn’t anymore. All that I cared about was leaving, unlike him who had done nothing to change his current situation. It could have just been fear, but I wasn’t entirely sure that was it.

I waved his concern away and urged him back inside, where I exchanged several useless stuff I gathered from the village, for things I actually needed.

Once he was gone, I began my preparations for the day, stuffing only what was necessary in my bag. I was heading to the village again, so I fixed my scarf back, since the Wolf messed it up. I stopped to think about his parting for a moment.

I wasn’t blind, I knew what that little display was, a show of possession for the intruder. I appreciated his scent on me, it had been days since I had to fight a dog, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about being thought of as belonging to him. Especially considering his already obsessive tendencies. I didn’t want to be the next Pretty Lady...

I also wasn’t blind as to the nature of our arrangement. I knew it wasn’t exactly sexual, but it wasn’t, non-sexual either. For me it was therapeutic, a moment to enjoy the closeness of another warm body and unburden my worries while going through the motions of caressing that soft fur.

For the Wolf, it was likely about pleasure... Hairy animals, humans included, have highly sensitive skin, and social grooming is not uncommon. It's a way to make friends and strengthen bonds... But humans are more complicated, the pleasure most animals would link to a simple reward, we turn into feelings, into sex.

He was a wolf, but he was also a man... Not that I give two shits about that, I never did. A warm body was a warm body, I never really cared what was below the belt. But I was also not thrilled about the idea of getting fucked by the creature.

The thought struck me that I wasn’t even sure that I could... My body had turned into something completely different. No eating, no sleeping... I feared I might be beyond recovery by then, it was a dreadful thought that I was constantly fighting to keep out of my mind. That I wasn’t entirely human anymore.

In any case... I didn’t mind the nuzzling or the manhandling, and even if I was pretty sure the licking constituted a weird sort of kiss... I didn’t mind those either. So long as it didn’t go any further than that.

The chicken theft was harder than I anticipated. The chicken lady kept a watchful eye over her birds, so it took me a little while to finally snatch one unnoticed. I grabbed it by the neck and struggled to control it, then while running away I ended up kicking another chicken and I bent down to grab that one too. But all the noise attracted some villagers’ attention and I had to run away with a chicken under each arm. It was chaotic and hilarious, and the most fun I had had since being stranded there. I left the village, running in the direction of the Wolf's camp.

I was him from afar, sitting on a big fallen tree. He picked on my scent and straightened, looking in my direction. I triumphantly lifted both, chickens in the air, he grinned getting up to meet me.

"Well, well... would you look at that! Aren't you the master thief, Meat," he said grabbing each of the chickens and carelessly breaking their necks. "Did anyone see you?"

I shook my head, unexpectedly proud of my feat. He smiled, showing his rows of sharp teeth.

"Good work, I wish I could see the look on that hag's face when she realizes two of her precious chickens are missing," he said eyeing me up strangely, then he returned one of the birds to me. "Here! I believe you deserve a treat, Meat. You eat that one."

I was surprised by the unexpected gesture, not sure of where it was coming from. I didn’t really need to eat, but I could try. Only...

I caught up to the Wolf who had made his way back to his camp. And pointed between the chicken and the fire.

"You wanna cook it? Argh, what a waste... Sure, use the fire if you want. You do know how to prepare a bird right?"

I looked down, feeling a bit annoyed at being embarrassed.

"Ha! It figures... city boy. Fine, I'll show you in payment for your daring theft," he bit back with a teasing grin.

He roughly taught me how to pluck and clean the chicken, it was not a pleasant process but I learned a useful skill, so that was something.

While my chicken was roasting in the fire, the Wolf just ate his without cooking, it was gross but well, it was a testament to how long I had been there that it wasn’t disgusting enough to stop me from reaching out to scratch the back his head.

He was seating on the floor, with his back to me, facing the fire. He hummed at my touch, leaning back to rest on my legs. It was...weird that I was already that used to him, to his closeness. I remembered the first time I saw him I thought I was probably hallucinating. But as I began seeing all the bizarre things in the forest, he became one of the less strange ones in it.

It helped that I could actually have a conversation with him, well... a one-sided one at least, I thought about trying writing to him like the Trader did. Others talked to me, like the boy with his rocket, but they all felt just a bit off? Like they had gone mad just to survive the forest, but the Wolf simply sounded like himself, albeit a bit sadistic. He wasn’t trying to leave, but he wasn’t trying to stop me from doing so either, which was good. I wasn’t sure how people would react to a humanoid wolf walking out of the forest. Probably not befriending him and petting his head. I was the only one crazy enough for that. I remembered a line from Alice in wonderland, my mother used to read me:

“I don't want to go among mad people,” said Alice. “Oh, you can't help that,” said the Cat. “We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.”

I supposed I was... couldn’t be bothered though, as long as I was still alive.

By the time I actually got to eat the chicken, he was already done with his, so he just watched me eating, which luckily I could still do. I felt myself gaining some sort of energy from it, even if it didn’t clench the hunger I always felt for mushrooms.

But I apparently ate too slowly cause the other man got a bit impatient. He was restless and slowly inching closer, licking his snout.

When I had only a chicken leg left, he was drooling a bit. "Are you going to eat that?" he asked.

I narrowed my eyes at him, I was already full, but he did say this was my chicken, so it was the principle of it. I nodded, lifting the piece up and away from him when he kneeled closer, with mischief in his eyes.

"Oh, come on! Don't be so mean, give it here," he insisted getting closer, between my legs and reaching for the chicken leg.

I leaned way back, lifting my arm higher, shaking my head, I would have been laughing if I could. He looked a bit like a begging whining lap dog.

A drop of juice from the meat slid down from my hand down my arm. I saw him notice it and grin.

"You might want to reconsider that, Meat. Or... I'll just eat you up instead..." he said grinning and licking the drops falling down my arm.

It gave me a chill, not at all unpleasant, which was disturbing but not enough to make me push him away. He was looking at me with sharp hungry eyes and there was a tension in the air that wasn't there before.

We both startled at the appearance of a dog on the edge of the camp, probably attracted by the smell of food. I couldn’t help but grin at an idea that popped up in my head. The Wolf looked back at me, narrowing his eyes.

"Don't you dare..." he warned me, but I only grinned further and quickly threw the chicken leg far away in the direction of the poor thin dog, who caught it in the air and took off running deeper in the forest.

The Wolf growled, showing his teeth, but his ears didn't flatten. I immediately backed away from him, running and he chased me. It was funny how somewhere along the line I lost the fear of him. Technically he could catch up and rip me to pieces, but I was certain he wouldn’t because he was enjoying it way too much. And in a way, I was too.

The chase didn’t end in us falling down a hill this time, we both stopped when we reached a clearing with a huge stag grazing on it. I leaned on a tree, catching my breath.

"Wanna try catching one of those next?" the Wolf joked, a bit out of breath himself, with his tongue sticking out and panting.

I shook my head and made a rude gesture at the stag; I hated those things. They were ruthless, striking me down as soon as they saw me.

"Oh! I sense some animosity there! Don't like them antlers?" he laughed nudging me with his elbow. "They're a bit of a nasty bastards I give you that."

He looked pensive for a while, tilted his head to the side. My watch alerted me nightfall was approaching and I pointed to it. The Wolf looked genuinely put out by that, but didn’t say anything, just forcefully patted my shoulder and thanked me for the food. I waved goodbye and walked away with the distinct feeling I missed something.

I spent the next couple of days exploring the Old Woods. It was a wretched place filled with chompers, but I found plenty of things worth the hassle. Including finding the real church I saw in my dream.

It was an eerie place, even for Darkwoods' standards, I got the feeling something awful had happened in there. I found a man there, who was talking to himself, bitter and driven mad by the woods. He gave me the code to the cellar and I found the key to the little black box from my dream. The place was infested with dormant chompers, which I was sure used to be the people who mistakenly took refuge in the church. I felt a great desire to simply pour gasoline over the whole thing and set it on fire, but that would probably be a waste of resources, so I just went back up and locked that hellhole again. At least they were not coming out of there anytime soon.

In the side room, I found a very curious item, a little microprocessor-based handheld game, I remembered the neighbor's kid had one. It depicted a wolf collecting or maybe stealing, eggs from hens.

I recalled watching a cartoon when I was younger, something about a mischievous wolf and a hare... It made me laugh, what a cruel and twisted thing fate was. One minute I was watching TV, the next I was talking to the real-life wolf in a godforsaken evil forest...

I wondered if the Wolf might like it, maybe it would at least make him laugh. I pocketed it and headed out. On the way back I went past the Wolf's hideout and saw the dogs were fighting between each other. They looked thinner and a bit sick. They scented me but didn’t attack, I assumed I still smelt like him. I had a few pieces of meat I gathered around, so I threw them over the fence. The hounds quickly ran up to eat them, growling at each other. I made a mental note to bring more next time. They were not half bad when they weren’t trying to eat me.

I didn’t have enough time to go find the Wolf that day, so I headed out early the next morning. I found him on his camp in Dry Meadow, he was sitting on the bed he had there, I kind of wondered where he got it from. He perked up when he noticed me, from afar I saw his tail moving, but it stilled when I got to him.

First I went with the box. I was really curious about what was inside and it was so creepy I really didn’t want to have to carry that thing around anymore.

I pulled out the twisted key and he immediately jumped up the bed reaching for it.

"Give it to me!!!" he exclaimed, snatching the box and the key from my hands. "With things like that, you need to be careful, Meat. This may be a trap."

Muttering under his breath, he attempted to open the box. After a while, the lid gently slid open and the Wolf peeked inside carefully, squinting his eyes. He looked at the contents in silence, then lifted his gaze at me. Not good news.

"Is this a fucking joke? Are you some sort of fucking clown or something?" he said angrily.

The Wolf took out a few crumpled pieces of paper from the box and threw them in my face. As they fell to the ground, I noticed a shiny stone among them.

"Some fucking scribbles! I'm warning you, Meat... Do not dare waste my time again!" he snarled at me.

I bent down to pick the drawings, a kid's drawings... I remembered the mumblings of the mad man at church. I got the feeling he might like to have them, so I pocketed them, then grab the shiny rock and forcefully threw it in the bed next to where the Wolf was sitting. Just because it wasn't what he expected didn’t mean he got to act like a jerk.

I pointed to it, annoyed. He looked at it reproachfully and reluctantly grabbed it.

"Fine, I guess this is something after all," he mumbled.

I sat down next to him and pulled out the second item, handing the little game to him. That one was a bit tricky...

"What the fuck is this? Do you think this is funny? Are you mocking me? Do I look like a joke to you?!" he growled; hackles raised.

He was clearly in a mood, but I was never one to back down and he was just being an ass for no reason, so I nodded.

His eyes widened and he started grinning, then full-on laughing.

"HAHAHAhahaha! You're a brave piece of meat..." he said eyeing me with mischief. "And what's more important, one with a sense of humor. Where did you find this?"

The Wolf carefully studied the toy, I made a cross with my fingers.

"Church, eh? Odd place for a game... about a wolf stealing chicken eggs... hehehe. Good one!"

He looked slightly nostalgic, as if he was somewhere else and not there with me.

"I have got a soft spot for games, how about you? I can give you something in exchange, Meat... What would you say to... a surprise, eh?"

I nodded, thinking it couldn’t be anything too bad.

"A wise decision. Take this!" he said producing a gun with a couple of bullets from his pocket and then turning the game on.

And just like that, I lost him. He was so focused on the little screen he didn’t even react to me waving a hand in front of him. It turned out he really did have a thing for games.

I got up and started walking away, thinking he wouldn’t even notice, but after taking a few steps I heard him calling me.

I turned around and saw him approach, the game no longer on his paws. Once standing in front of me he looked hesitant for a moment but then he grabbed me by the arms pulling me closer and started licking my cheeks. It was not forceful, like the last time he did it, he was affectionate, not unlike an actual dog. I was perfectly capable of pushing him away since he was not even holding me that hard, but I didn’t.

I squinted my eyes and frowned but my hands just grabbed his coat so I wouldn’t fall backward. It wasn’t exactly that pleasant but it wasn’t unbearable and it wasn’t really a kiss, but I got a distinct feeling it was supposed to be one. Of what kind, I wasn’t really sure though.

I heard his tail moving under his coat and he nuzzled my face. He was taller than me so he had to bend a little, which must have looked funny from afar. 

"See you soon then, Meat?" he said pulling back with a big grin on his face. I nodded, rubbing my face clean, which luckily only made him chuckle. "Good, go on then."

And he just turned back around, pulling the game back out. I hesitated for a moment then turned back around to gather some wood.

I was not at all sure about what that meant... We had been getting closer but.. that felt different somehow. If he had looked like a man it would have been easier to read him, I was always good at reading people, but it was harder with him. Harder in that place that was pushing us together. Even if I wanted to avoid him, I still needed him to survive, to escape.

And I was not entirely sure I wanted to; I did think of him the moment I found the game... It was natural, I supposed, that I was clinging to the only link I had to some normalcy there.

And yet there was that tension between us, that day in his camp...I couldn’t deny the thrill of danger made me shiver with excitement. I had been in a constant state of fear ever since being trapped there, but that one was different, welcomed even...

I sighed as I picked up logs of wood and chop them next to the hideout in the silent Forest. There was nothing I could do if the other man was growing attached to me. No point in pushing his advances away if it wasn’t too annoying. And regarding my feelings, well... I was always pretty good at compartmentalizing, that was a worry for some other time. It wouldn’t matter if I managed to escape anyway.

The night was quiet for once, only the distant sounds of hounds hunting madmen in the distance. Around midnight there was a knock at the door. Sometimes people from the village left stuff for me, I wasn’t sure why and I couldn’t exactly ask. I thought it was something they did back when we established the hideouts and they just kept going even then.

I opened the door expecting a can of gasoline or a flashlight, only to find a piece of paper on the ground.

I bent down and picked it up. It was an invitation to a celebration with childish drawings of people dancing and a huge sun, the envelope even had a stamp and everything. There was a code on it, I was guessing to a door. I remembered that farmstead surruended by the crop field in the Dry Meadow, with the party decorations and the locked door in the back. I figured there was a good chance that was the code.

I headed out the next day, I was planning on going straight there but on the way, I found a case with a medium caliber magazine, it was useless for me but I knew the Wolf had an assault rifle, so I took a detour to his camp.

He was munching on some rabbit bones when I arrived but dropped them when he saw me. I was surprised to see him with his hood down, in the past it seemed he was ashamed of having his ears out in the open.

"Meat! What a treat to see you again so soon, what's the matter now?" he said pushing his hands on his pockets. "Found something?"

I made to hand him the rifle ammo, but the invite fell out of my pocket when I took it out. He grabbed it, opening the envelope.

"An invitation to a wedding party!" the Wolf snorted. "It's an invitation to that house in the North edge of the Dry Meadow. The music there has been playing non-stop since I can remember. Day and night. A never-ending wedding."

The Wolf seemed to contemplate something for a moment, he didn’t seem very happy. He threw the invitation back at me, putting his hands back in his pockets and hunching his back.

"Have fun, Meat... I'm sure there'll be dancing involved," he grumbled.

Suddenly it clicked, he looked jealous... I wondered if he wanted to be invited or if he just didn't want me to go. Either way, I took the paper and turned to go, then stopped.

Nothing was normal in the forest, if the Wolf said the place had been the same ever since he remembered, there was a good chance something was wrong there too. I remembered the line of flowers on the crop field, a marked path. Whatever was inside wanted me to find it.

I remembered people were allowed to bring a plus one at weddings, right? So, I turned back around, the Wolf tilted his head to the side, curious.

I pointed to him, then to myself and the invite. His eyes widened and his pointy ears perked up. It reminded me of my dog when I took out his leash to go on a walk.

"You... want me to go with you?" I nodded. "Hmm... I was busy before you arrived, you know. But... It might be interesting to attend a party, even if it's just to scare them shitless and steal all the food. Hehehe."

I shrugged, in truth, I didn’t care what he did there, I was only going to see if there was anything useful or some more information about the forest.

"Very well, I'll go with you, Meat," he said picking up his gun and leading the way.

He walked faster than I had anticipated, with those large legs of his, so I had to jog a bit to catch up. He was clearly enjoying it but slowed down the last trek of the road.

I saw him moving his ears one way and the other, always alert to any sounds.

I nudged his shoulder and pointed to his ears and around me when he looked down.

"I have better eyes, ears, and nose than you do, Meat. Trust me, you do not want to know all I hear out here," he chuckled.

We made it in good time and made our way through the crop fields following the trail of flowers. I envied the Wolf that could see over the top of the crops.

There was a dog at the entrance that I usually ran past but this time it stopped barking at the sight of my companion and went back into his house when he growled. I gave the Wolf a thumbs up and he snorted in return.

Inside the entrance there was a woman in a wedding dress, dancing. She didn’t seem to notice either of us, dancing back and forth, spinning.

We both stared at her, I saw the Wolf's ears were pushed back.

"It's like she's...not really there," he said frowning. "No scent, no sound."

He shook his head and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the closed door. It was a strange feeling, his paw on mine. It was a fairly human hand, but with soft fur and sharp claws. I never liked holding hands, my girlfriend resented that. Said it made her feel unwanted. I didn’t push the Wolf away though. What did that say about me...?

I opened the door using the code on the invite and walked inside. It was dark but not enough to pull out a flashlight, there was a room to my left no one there, only a pig walking around.

I heard the Wolf sniffing, alert to any enemies. I went through an unblocked window near the southeast corner, to the second half of the building.

I heard music and a loud banging sound so I took out my gun. The main hall was a large and dimly lit room, there I spotted who I could only assume was the groom sitting at a table, repeatedly banging his head against it.

He was muttering, "We've... been... waiting... for... you...", slamming his head on the table at each word.

"He's not there either," the Wolf grumbled, he growled lowly but didn’t move from my side. "Poor sucker..."

I pulled on his hand and moved forward, turning off the music as I passed by.

I opened the door behind the groom, which lead to a dark and poorly lit yard crowded with trees. We both walked further ahead until we saw white shapes moving between the trees.

Coming closer I saw they were several more brides dancing in circles. They asked me to dance with them and I felt the Wolf's paw tighten his grip on my hand. I squeezed back; I was definitely not dancing.

Still, there was something eerily beautiful about their dance, the white of their dresses seemed to almost shine in the darkness of the forest around us, that was dancing with them too. And yet there was something wrong with their smiles, they seemed forced, I got the feeling they were bound to repeat that dance forever.

When they said the same words as the groom I decided to head back inside. The Wolf growled at them one last time and followed.

When we got back I could immediately tell something was not right, the groom was gone, and all the doors were locked. Then all the electric lights went out, and someone started slamming on the jammed metal door, yelling "WE'VE BEEN... WAITING... FOR YOU!".

I took out my handgun and positioned myself on the other side of the room with the table between us and whatever was behind the door, I aimed.

The Wolf was standing next to me, gun at the ready, he was growling and showing his sharp teeth. At that moment he truly looked more animal than man.

Suddenly the lights turned back on and the door finally gave, revealing a red chomper wearing a wedding dress. It launched itself at us, screaming "DANCE WITH ME!".

We both fired at it and it was down before it managed to go around the table. The Wolf started laughing, putting his gun away.

"What the hell was that?! Hahaha. No wonder the groom ran away!" he exclaimed, watching me get around the table to search the body.

I pried a good piece of fabric and Shiny Stone out of it. I handled the stone to the other man and kept the fabric, after all, it was half his kill.

Between the two of us, we began to comb through the building, picking up anything that might be of use. When I was done with my section I stared at the radio, that one actually worked, which was kind of weird. I turned it back on to see if I got any signal from the outside and saw the Wolf perk his ears and turn to see me from the other side of the room.

"Turn that ruckus down, Meat. Or are you itching for more dancing?" he asked, tone annoyed, but slightly amused.

I huffed, he was always such a bastard it made me want to get under his skin as well, so I shrugged giving him a challenging look and lifted my chin.

He was clearly taken aback by my proposal, glancing between me and the radio.

"You can't mean.. I..." he stammered and began laughing incredulously shaking his head. "Hehehe. You really are a weird one, aren't you?"

I only raised an eyebrow at him, standing my ground.

"Oh fine, fine! I'll dance with you, since no one else would," he finally answered moving in front of me.

He looked focused, but unsure of what to do, so I took the lead. Back during my training, I once had to take a seminar on good etiquette that included the basics of ball dancing, so I arranged his paws in the right position and urged him to move.

"I... don't know if I ever danced before..." the Wolf muttered, furiously focusing on his feet.

He didn’t step on me, luckily. And did overall better than anticipated. He moved his tail happily once he got the hang of it and pulled me closer, giving my cheeks small affectionate licks.

At the end of the song, he managed to dip me. There was a second when I thought he was going to properly kiss me but he just grinned devilishly and dropped me to the floor.

I threw him a good-natured kick that he avoided, grabbing the pig walking around the entrance and throwing it over his shoulders.

"Come on, Meat! Enough dancing. Let's go cook this piggy!" he exclaimed grinning.

I smiled, despite myself and got up to follow. On my way out I pointed the dog out to him, signaling his leash. The Wolf rolled his eyes at me but proceeded to unleash the animal that decided to follow us all the way up to my Dry Meadow hideout and took up residence on the old doghouse in the yard.

I went inside to sort through the stuff I had gathered, while the Wolf made work of the pig outside. It was a bloody affair I had no interest in watching. I did catch him throwing pieces of the pig to the dog though.

After a while, he came back inside with pieces of meat on his paws and headed to the oven without even asking me. When I head back there he was already roasting the meat, with a content look on his face. I was aware he didn't have to cook it to eat it, so I ignored his trespassing. It was already pretty late in the day, so he was most likely staying anyway.

I noticed he had shed his big brown coat and was standing only in the light hoodie. It made his long tail stand up a big deal more. I was used to it by then though and it helped me read him better.

"What a wedding! Haven't been to one of those before but I bet most don't involve the bride trying to eat you. Hehehe," he chuckled nudging me with his elbow. "How about you? Ever been to one before?"

I shook my head.

"Hmm... Had one of your own, maybe?"

He sounded disinterested but I could tell he really wasn’t. What a subtle way to ask if I was married.

I shook my head again. He looked pleased.

"Didn't take you for the type. But... there must have been someone, right?"

I nodded that time, looking at the fire in the oven. I couldn’t even remember her name... But did it matter?

"You want to get back to them I suppose. That's why you want the key," he said sounding mighty bitter. He took a step forward and knelt next to the fire, on the excuse of checking on the meat.

I looked down at his hunched back and slowly moving tail. He really was a jealous little bastard, wasn't he?

I took out my journal, using the last pages to write a quick note, hoping he could read.

"I don't care if she's there or not when I go back. I'll just pack up all my shit on a suitcase and head somewhere warm like Fiji or something."

I poked his shoulder and handed him the journal when he turned. He looked surprised and got up, reading the note.

I saw his tail begin moving and he grinned.

"Hehehe, finally I get more from you than bad charades! Good to read you, Meat," he said grinning, then he closed the book and turned to face me. "But if it's warmth you want, look no further."

He opened his arms wide, clearly inviting me in for a hug. And I decided that well... Why the hell not?

I went forward, and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes. I was suddenly really tired. Again, I never cared for hugs, but apparently the stupid mutt was pulling all of my strings that day.

With my ear pressed tight to his chest, I heard the loud beating of his heart. It took me a second to realize it sounded off, like an echo. A double beat. It was possible, I realized, that the Wolf had two hearts instead of one, since he was basically two creatures fused in one...

I chuckled, rubbing my face on his sweater, that was just one more weird thing for the books.

"You laughing at me now, uh Meat?" he teased, I shook my head. "Good. I don't just go around offering my patented quality hugs to anyone, you know? Consider yourself very lucky."

I huffed, rolling my eyes at him. He chuckled and stepped back, taking off my hat.

"You'll need a bigger hat than this one to hide your face in Fiji though," he joked.

I frowned, yes I knew my face was a mess... I'd be almost as much of a mutant as he was to the outside world. But even so, I would be damned if my former employers got their hands on me like that. I would spend the rest of my life as a test subject in a lab. The ugly thing that place had made of me...

I snatched my hat back from him, making him twitch, turning around and leaving again. I saw the Wolf tilt his head in question but he didn’t try to stop me.

I took care of reinforcing the barricades, pouring gasoline on the generator, and bringing water from the well to drink. I was a little calmer by the time I got back inside and boarded ourselves up.

My guest had grabbed a small table and placed the cooked pieces of meat on it. He was apparently waiting for me. I sighed and brought the water over, offering him some.

"Got anything stronger?" he asked.

I nodded and brought him a bottle of alcohol. I could have used it in several other ways but since he did all the cooking... I laughed to myself over how mighty domestic the whole thing was.

We both ate in relative silence, the meat was not bad, but still pretty rare, not that I minded since nothing really tasted for me anymore.

By the time we were done, it was almost 20 hours into the night and the Wolf got up from the couch we were sharing.

"Here, give me a second, trust me," he said opening a window despite my protests. He pulled his head out of it, took a deep breath and howled. It was a loud, eerie sound, but it was also strangely beautiful. Suddenly I heard answering howls in several directions in the distance.

He pulled back and put the barricades back up, "There! Now the kids will take care of any obnoxious intruders for the rest of the night."

I looked at him surprised and truly grateful. I gave him a thumbs up and he chuckled, sitting back down.

He leaned his back against the arm of the sofa and gestured for me to lean back on him, a mirror image of the first time we started the arrangement back in his hideout.

I was tired and he had taken care of any menace from the outside, so I just sighed and accepted the offer, sitting to the side and leaning back.

He quickly hugged me flush to his front, wrapping me in a pleasant warmth. His snout was long enough that it came up to the side of my face as he rested it on my shoulder.

I had never been in that position before, but it felt nice, I was dosing off when I heard him clear his throat.

"So... if you're not itching to get back to the missus, why are you so desperate to get away from here?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes at him even if he couldn't see me. Of course, he didn’t get it.

I took out my journal again and wrote: "I don't know if you've noticed, but everything in this forest wants me dead."

He read it over my shoulder and chuckled, "So? You just kill them first!" he exclaimed baring his fangs.

"Easy for you to say! You're the one with the automatic rifle and the big teeth. I'm... just a soldier who got left behind. I can't move a couple of meters without being attacked by something. Sometimes I'm sure I've died, many times... but I always wake up right back here by the oven, my body intact... I'm not even sure I'm all human anymore."

"And what's so good about being human?!" he growled at me, tightening his hold. "You wanna be like those pathetic villagers that hide in their homes afraid of everything? Or perhaps go back to a nice boring office job? Day after day the same shit all over again, until you grow old and die? Sounds to me like you'd be just as trapped out there than in here."

I wasn’t sure why he was so upset about it, but I thought he probably was getting attached. Didn’t want me to go, which was appreciated, but problematic.

"You always liked the woods, I'm a city boy, remember?" I wrote.

He huffed, not liking his words being used against him.

"You don't have to hide your face in here... We mutants don't give two shits about it. I might even like your ugly mug," he said affectionately licking the side of my face.

I sighed, leaning my head back on his shoulder. "Down the rabbit hole," I thought.

"So, I should be more like you? I noticed you're not hiding those anymore..." I wrote, then reached back and pinch his pointy ears.

He shook his head like a wet dog, huffing.

"I have to admit I like those too. They're very soft," I wrote and heard a hitch on his breath.

He didn’t say anything, which was a miracle, I got the feeling he would be blushing if he could though. Instead, he began licking my cheek and slowly went down my throat until he reached my shoulder.

And THAT answered the question of whether or not my body could still get aroused... I wasn’t as disconcerting as I thought it would be.

He must have scented something cause he chuckled quietly.

"I think you have more in common with us than you think, Meat. But if you really want out I won't stand in your way," he said in an unusually careful tone. "Just know I take care of my own."

It was a proposal of sorts… I half turned myself to face him better, lifting an eyebrow. He just stared at me with his cunning bright eyes.

"So, you're saying you'll watch over me if I stay?" I wrote.

"If you stay I'll teach everyone what happens if they mess with you..." he said smugly.

I shook my head, turning away. The arrangement we had was just about companionship... But I felt the tiniest bit sad about rejecting him.

"I can't stay," I wrote slowly. "But I appreciate your offer, I really do."

I felt him tense up behind me, and I saw his ears push back. Before he could snap at me, I grabbed his snout, not too forcefully, and brought him close enough to lay a kiss on its side.

His ears immediately perked back up and his eyes went comically wide. I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, he looked offended for a second but then smirked, leaning closer and licking my face. Only that time he also pressed his nose to mine, testing the waters.

I nuzzled back because even though it was weird, it wasn’t unpleasant and I just need something... anything to get my mind off my situation. He was there, sturdy and warm next to me. Offering me something I was too tired to reject anymore.

He licked my nose softly and lowered, licking my lips. The contact was brief, barely a kiss. I was surprised to notice I had closed my eyes at some point. He was waiting for my reaction.

Given our drastically different physiologies, it wasn’t possible for me to properly kiss him back. But I wanted to, so I tried my best. I turned a bit more towards him and touched his hairy cheeks, leaning close and kissing his nose, then his snout and the corner of his mouth. That time it was he who closed his eyes, in clear enjoyment.

He chuckled softly, nuzzling me and liking the side of my face then went back to licking and nipping my neck, which gave me pleasant shivers.

I was distantly aware of the sounds of hounds attacking something in the forest, but for once I didn't give a fuck.

My hat fell to the ground somewhere along the way, so I freely buried my face under his chin, in the scruff of his neck. He was warm and I was comfortable for once. That might have actually been the only time I had stopped feeling afraid ever since I entered the forest. 

He tightened his arms around me and I heard him sigh.

"For the record, I think we make a good team, Comrade Meat..." he said, running his sharp claws down my spine. "But we have a deal so I'll help you. Once you find my key though."

Ah, the one I had already found... The guilt bit harder at me that time.

"I think we should stick together in the meantime. Don't you agree, Dear Meat?" he said in a dulcet tone, licking my ear and sending another wave of heat down my stomach.

I nodded, not sure what I was agreeing to.

"You tired?" I nodded again. "Got a bed in this joint?" I pointed to the door on our left. "Hmm..."

Suddenly I was being manhandled into his lap and easily lifted like I weight nothing. I clung to his shoulders for leverage as he carried me over to the bed. It was definitely not romantic, but I wasn’t expecting less from him. He dropped me on the crappy mattress with a little more gentleness though and dramatically threw himself backward on the bed next to me.

I leaned on my elbow and glared down at him, he chuckled.

"Good night, Meat," he said with a grin, leaning closer to lick my face.

I squinted and pushed him back, messing his hair like I would an actual dog. He laughed, pushing back into my hands, and moved closer, getting comfortable.

I sighed, looking down at him, he was apparently spending the night with me... I might as well take advantage of the body heat, so I moved closer to him, urging his arm around me. He wrapped me close to his chest, where I fell asleep to the sound of two beating hearts.

_______________________________

I woke up to the sound of barking outside. I felt the Wolf grumbling next to me, turning away to the side, burrowing further into the blankets.

"It's your friend, the Trader," he mumbled with his eyes still closed.

I didn’t want to leave the warmth of the bed, but I did need some supplies, so I begrudgingly got up and headed out, fixing my scarf and hat before opening the door.

The Trader wasn't in the next room as usual, so I headed to the main door. Through the window barricades, I saw the dog barking outside. When I opened the door, I found the Trader standing far on the other side of the fence that surrounded the hideout.

He frantically gestured to the dog, who saw me and stopped its barking. I pointed to the doghouse and after tilting his head to the side he went back to it. I was a bit surprised that worked.

The Trader dared come inside the property, keeping a careful eye on the dog.

Once he reached me he wrote something on his arm "How is that creature listening to you?"

I shrugged; it was none of his business.

"It's because of that monster isn't it?"

I rolled my eyes at him, pointing to his bag.

The other man seemed annoyed but obliged, accepting the stuff I offered and selling me some I needed.

"What do you see in him?" the Trader asked before leaving.

I frowned, more than a bit annoyed at his probing.

I pulled out my journal and wrote: "I see someone who survives through whatever means necessary. And I see a fair amount of myself in him if you must know. Or have you forgotten who I was? Now get out of here, before I let the dog loose on you."

The Trader shook his head and backed away looking afraid. Part of me felt guilty, the other got a little bit of satisfaction from it. I was not a good man; better that he remembered that...

I went back inside, closing the door back up. I headed back to the bedroom and found the Wolf still laying there under the sheets. I threw myself back down, on my back, like he did the night before. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I heard the Wolf scramble closer and felt him lay his snout on my shoulder, then he gave me the smallest of licks, barely poking his tongue out.

"Something wrong?" he asked, with a deep sleepy voice.

I shook my head and patted his cheek, he leaned into my touch.

"I'm guessing we're having a day in, then?" he ventured. I nodded again and he gave me a pleased hum, burrowing further into the space between my neck and the pillow. It tickled, so I turned to sleep on my side, facing him.

It was strange how I hadn’t realized how much I needed sleep, but it was a welcomed blessing in that hellhole of a place. Same as the warm body next to me.

* * *

  


The next time I woke up I didn’t immediately feel him there. I shook the sleepiness off and sat up. I spotted him then, sitting on the edge of the bed bent over something.

Then I realized he was reading my journal and I made a move to rip it off his paws, mad at him for the breach of privacy.

He moved faster than me though, childishly lifting the book out of my reach.

"Relax, Meat! Don't you trust your friend the Wolf?" he teased me with a grin, dodging every effort to reach the book. "I do have a name, you know? Not that you ever asked. But I suppose I never asked yours either, so Wolf is fine. Is this supposed to be me?"

He pointed to the first entry I made about him, where I drew him.

"Gotta say, Meat... That's one shitty drawing," he mocked me, eyes grinning and tail wagging.

I gave him a killer glare and grabbed the pillow next to me, quickly smacking his face with it. He laughed and tried to grab it from me, but I was faster that time and hit him again.

He growled, a kind of playful growl, and launched himself at me, dropping the journal on the floor. He wrapped his arms around my torso and pinned me to the bed. Licking my face and neck, sending unexpectedly pleasant shivers down my body.

I was suddenly very aware of his advantage over me, he was licking and nipping at my skin with pretty animalistic enthusiasm after all. But it was thrilling and my whole body felt more alive than it had in days. Turns out I was kind of willing to bed the Wolf after all...

I could feel him get excited so was not a far-out possibility, and I was a tiny bit curious about what he was working with down there.

He gave my neck a long lick, then bit down softly on my shoulder, scratching my back at the same time. I gasped for air, arched my back, and wondered, why did that feel so good… I would have been moaning for sure if I still had my voice. I heard the Wolf chuckle.

"I could just eat you up..." he said with a shaky voice, nuzzling me.

I was considering my next move when his stomach grumbled loud enough to be impossible to ignore.

Both of us stared at each other and started laughing, well he laughed and I chuckled.

"But it seems I need to go get some actual food in me first," he said catching his breath. "And I suppose you have things to do as well?"

I nodded at him, reaching up to scratch his ears. He looked pleased and happy, his tail moving slowly from side to side.

"Should we... meet again here at night?" he asked looking a bit unsure.

I needed to head down to the Silent Forest hideout, so I grabbed my map and pointed to it. The Wolf nodded and got up, stretching his spine, which made his tail perk up in a funny way.

I couldn’t help but reach out and pinch it. He turned around, looking surprised and annoyed, but then grinned at me, "That's very kinky of you, Meat. But don't forget who has the sharpest teeth in this relationship," he teased, moving close to give me one last lick -or kiss, I figured- before heading out, grabbing his gun and waving at me.

Relationship… I sighed... What a mess I had gotten myself into... I couldn’t say I minded it much though. I was not sure how far that would have gone before, but it wasn't unpleasant, quite the opposite in fact...

I left everything in order in the hideout, just in case I had to come back in a hurry, and set out to the Silent Forest.

I was surprised to see the hound following me a little distance away. I noticed it was actually a she. Apparently, I was her master from then on. It proved useful when I met with a savage man in the way and the dog helped me take it out easier. I rewarded her with a piece of meat that she swallowed in one bite.

On the way, I found a couple of very useful crates and decided I had enough time to visit the Silo. It was dark and dusty inside, the hound seemed reluctant to go in, maybe because of the loud music playing.

In the far back, I found the little musician, badly playing a song I could barely recognize as Frère Jacques. He stopped when he saw me, looking excited even with the mask covering his face. He was expecting me to have found the key, just like the Wolf, I shook my head and he sagged a little, but still waited for me to say something.

I decided to get his input on some of the stuff I had gathered. Gossip sometimes pays off. I showed him my photo of the road, he took it in his feeble hands.

"M-mommy once told me about... this r-road. She said p-people used to travel it. They would leave their houses and walk it during the night. I was scared of this s-story. I was afraid m-mommy will go out too... and leave me behind," he said.

I remembered that. After things began looking pretty bleak in the Darkwoods, some of the locals tried escaping during the nights. Too bad I had blocked all exits, containing the place like a quarantine zone. Those that made it out only ended up in labs and detention camps. He was right to be scared.

I took the photo back and gave him the one with the doctor on it.

“This is our doctor, yes? He is just as brave and good as you are! He helped me. He is helping all of us!" he said cheerfully, and yeah, I had seen some of the prescriptions he gave to the villagers, real deadly concoctions... "He gave me this beautiful mask, so I could be healed from my afflictions. Maybe you could have one too... Maybe the doctor would make a mask like this for you? I could ask him about it."

I shook my head, he looked sad but I couldn’t afford for that bastard to find out I was on the hunt for him.

I pulled out the plastic chick that apparently belonged to Janek. The poor boy looked at it in awe.

"It's s-so pretty... Could... could I h-hold it for a w-wee m-moment?"

I nodded and handed it over. The boy clumsily turned the small item in his overgrown hand.

"M-my mom likes these... W-where did y-you buy it? I-if I were big and had the m-money I would buy more of these and... m-maybe she would stop being angry at m-me?"

I wondered… where exactly were those parents of his? Were they dead? Or mad maybe? I couldn’t imagine they would have reacted well to the state of sickness their kid was on.

"H-have you heard about the sow?" the boy said, interrupting my thoughts. "The villagers keep this s-sow in the nearby p-pigshed. They call it The Mother of All Pigs! They say it's... beautiful! B-but I've never seen it... They don't allow me near her! They ch-ch-chase me off! They always ch-chase me off..."

The little Musician dropped his gaze to the chick on his hands. He looked ten times smaller than he actually was.

"M-maybe y-you would be able to s-see her, mister...? If you managed to get inside, maybe you could take a wee piece of... m-meat for me? I've never eaten a pig and I've h-heard it's very tasty! W-would you take s-some for me?" he asked hopefully.

I might have been a heartless bastard most of the time, but even I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the kid. Especially considering how much I despised the villagers. I nodded, and he looked thrilled. I picked my bag back up, getting ready for the trek back to the hideout.

The musician offered me the plastic chick back, but I waved him to keep it. It was really worthless to me and the pure joy it brought to the stupid kid was worth it.

"Oh... Thank you, m-mister! You're so k-kind! T-th-thank you!"

I shrugged and turned around when I heard a sound behind me, only to realize it was my dog, that was looking at us both with curiosity.

"Oh! You-you have a puppy..." the musician said looking a bit scared but curious. "C-could I... pet it, p-please?"

I looked at the dog, I was still not familiar enough with it to guarantee she wouldn't bite his hand off. So, I shook my head, putting my hands together in a gesture like jaws biting.

"O-oh of c-course... Most d-doggies b-bite here. I s-should have known..." he said looking longingly at it. "My p-parents never let me ha-have a puppy. Said I wasn't o-old enough. Then a-after, Mr. W-wolf took them a-all to the pound. T-they all became too a-angry after that."

I was surprised to hear him mention the Wolf. Mr. Wolf… I laughed at that, thinking he would have a blast if he heard.

I made a mental note to remind myself to ask him what the deal with those dogs on his property was.

I waved goodbye to the kid and headed out. The dog followed me all the way to the hideout and went into the dog house the second we arrived.

I was surprised to find the Wolf already there, sitting on the truck outside.

"Finally! Took your own sweet time to get here, Meat! What took you so long?" he said straightening himself up from his lounging position on the driver's seat. I took off my bag and shook it. "Oh, found anything interesting?"

I nodded and went into the house, placing stuff on the workbench. I finally had enough materials to build a half-decent shotgun.

I felt the Wolf staring at me from his position leaning on the doorway, but he didn’t say anything so I kept working.

It was a tricky process, but I found a small amount of pleasure doing it. It was familiar enough that it took my mind away from everything else that was happening, keeping me focused on the task.

Finally, I put the last touches and had a rustic and unpolished shotgun. It wouldn't last forever or resist any rough handling, but it would pack quite a good punch.

I was startled by the Wolf giving me an appreciative whistle.

"You've been holding out on me, Meat!" he said grinning appreciatively. "That was some impressive work, I had no idea you knew how to make guns." 

I shrugged; it was no big deal really. That other person's father showed him how, then the army... it was a useful skill.

"You're growing more interesting by the second, I gotta say," the Wolf said staring at me with hungry, shiny eyes. It would have made me blush, if my body still did that kind of thing.

He licked his lips, still grinning, and headed further inside. I loaded the shotgun and packed some ammo I had for it. It would come in handy when I went back to the Old Woods. I heard the Wolf come back into the room.

"Here!" he exclaimed dramatically dropping a bunch of different types of mushrooms on top of the stove. "I gathered these for you while I hunted. Some might have gone bad already since you took so long to get here, but most look good to me. Not that I know anything about mushrooms..."

I just stared at them surprised. It was certainly unexpected but deeply appreciated, some had indeed gone bad but only a couple, the rest were perfect.

I turned around to find him looking a bit uncomfortable... It was as if he was nervous but also sort of angry about being nervous. His tail was low and his ears pushed back, but his snout was furrowed a little.

I pulled out my journal and wrote a note before he combusted in the spot.

"This is really useful; I can repurpose the ones that went bad. Thank you! Where did you find that many?"

He relaxed immediately after reading and grinned. "There's an area in the forest filled with them but it's probably too dark for your pitiful eyes to see there. Also, there were some dogs around."

"I can't usually get into very thick mushroom fields without something attacking me or accidentally stepping on poisonous mushrooms." I wrote, making a face.

"That's probably because of your big clumsy feet," he laughed, pointing at them with his hind foot, which prompts me to realize that yeah the Wolf had small paws and walked sort of on the tip of his toes, so it would have been easier for him.

I softly tapped his paw with my shoe and he huffed, pushing me away, looking annoyed but content enough to move his tail from side to side.

"So, what do you do with those? Eat them?" he asked, putting his paws on his pockets and nudging at his haul of mushrooms.

I showed him how I made the decoction and then strained and pressed the fluids into the syringe. He cringed at that part, taking a step back. Turns out the big bad wolf was afraid of needles.

I felt much better after taking the shot. I felt as if I had regained a fair share of vitality. Not as good as before I got infected, but definitely better. My joints no longer hurt for one, and I could breathe a bit better.

The shot always left my head spinning though. It felt as if I could see or feel things that weren’t really there, visions. Like a bad dream.

"Where did you learn to do that?" I heard the Wolf ask behind me. I pulled out the book on mushrooms and handed it over without looking back. "You okay?"

I nodded, turning back to the workbench. I felt him hesitate but then he headed back inside the house without a word.

I wasn’t sure what was bothering me. I went outside, to the next-door building to fill up the generator when a vision hit me.

I was standing in the forest, but my line of sight... wasn’t at the right height. I was smaller, walking on four legs through the forest. I was going home. Suddenly I smelt something strange, I turned to look up the hill and noticed the figure of a man in the distance. It was the last thing I saw before I felt a strong pain in my flank. I recognized the feeling of being shot, but this time it felt like a mortal wound. I remember feeling afraid, confused... Then the man entered my line of sight, walking towards me. He was rough looking, but not ugly, he was smiling. And all I felt was hate. All I felt as I took my last breath, was pure hate and rage.

I woke up to someone forcefully shaking my shoulder. I heard barking. My vision slowly cleared and I saw the Wolf kneeling next to me and my dog not too far off, looking distressed.

"What the hell, Meat! Don't you go scaring us off like that," the other man complained, grabbing me by the shoulders and manhandling me into standing up. "I was reading inside when the pooch started yelling like crazy! Then I come here and find you laying on the ground. What the fuck?"

He sounded angry but I could tell he was nervous. I did my best to shake the dizziness away and patted his shoulder, giving him a thumbs up.

He shook his head, annoyed.

"No, you're not okay. You need rest, go back inside! I'll finish this," he said grabbing the can of gasoline I dropped.

I didn’t feel like fighting him so I obeyed, petting the hound's head as I passed her by. She waved her tail a bit and followed me inside the hideout, taking a seat just next to the door like a good guardian. It made me smile.

I sat on the sofa. That dream felt different than the rest I had had before. But closest to the church one, it felt like I was there, but not really there. Almost like... a memory. Not mine though.

"There! Lights on, windows checked and doors locked!" the Wolf exclaimed, barricading the door, leaving the dog in the oven area.

He threw the hammer away and came to sit next to me. "Now, you gonna explain that or what?"

I shook my head, pulling out the journal when I saw his snout begin to furrow.

"Sometimes in addition to energy and strength, I get these dreams, or visions, from the mushrooms... It's nothing, it passes. You've seen it before, that first day you came into my hideout and found me sleeping."

He read it and seemed to think about it. Then shook his head.

"Fine, I get it! But I still don't like it. That's fucked up," he said and I nodded in agreement.

"I feel much better now though. The mushrooms really helped. My body doesn't hurt anymore," I wrote and showed it to him.

He looked at it, and I had a hard time reading his expression.

"It hurt before?"

I was taken back when I saw him get a little bit mad.

"Meat... You're telling me all this time; you've been running around the woods fighting monsters with chronic pains?! Oh, don't give me that look! I'm not from the city but I know things!" he barked at me when I raised an eyebrow at his words. "Why didn't you say something?!"

"Why would I tell you?! You wouldn't have cared before!" I wrote and that stopped him in his tracks, his ears pushed back.

"Yes... No, I wouldn't have, before... Things changed though," he said bitterly, he lifted his head and sighed. "From now on just let me know if you're going to take an impromptu nap on the ground, then."

He wasn’t looking at me as I wrote down something I had been wondering for a while. "What changed? Why do you care now?"

He read it when I placed it on his lap. His ears were flat still.

"That's my own business, not yours. I just give a shit, who cares... You're annoying, but also the most interesting thing in this place. Don't want you dying up for no reason," he said frowning when both of us heard the sound of a Banshee walking outside.

Luckily, they couldn’t open doors, so there was nothing to worry about if the hounds outside were still taking care of the madmen.

The Wolf moved closer, pushing us both to lay stretched on the sofa. It was a tight fit but we managed.

He licked whatever part of my face he could reach from his position and nuzzled me. I was dousing off when he talked again.

"Who were you exactly, Meat? Because you are -and I hate to admit this- not at all as incompetent as you first seemed. And I know you were part of Them, but I saw what you wrote to your friend the Trader. You were more than just a soldier, weren't you?"

I tensed up again and punched him in the arm.

"Stop reading my journal, you jerk!" I wrote and he laughed, making the whole sofa shake.

"There should be no secrets between comrades, Meat. Besides, it was worth it just to look at your artwork, hehehe. But come on, tell me. You know there's no judgment here."

I thought about that. He was likely the only one there that wouldn't, that was true. He had stuffed human corpses in his hideout, for heaven's sake!

I took out my journal again and began writing what I could remember from that other person's life.

"I was a soldier, an Outsider, you people called us. But not just any soldier, I was head of operations. I... this whole thing was my project. You see, when strange things began happening in this place, it perked the interest of people in the government. When the first team discovered the amount of energy running through this forest... Well, let's just say a special branch of the government was very interested in how to harvest it.

They sent scientists first, but it soon became clear something was wrong with the Darkwoods area. People started to get sick and the locals turned out to be more hostile than they first anticipated. Containment became the number one priority. So, they called me.

I... I had a reputation you see, for being quite ruthless when it came to planning and following orders, no matter the moral implications. If the gain outweighed the loss then I didn't care. All that I cared for was efficiency.

They made me Head of Operations, with the clear order to protect the scientists in order to find a way to extract the energy and contain the locals and their infection inside the area, at all costs.

At. All. Costs."

I didn’t go into detail about what that meant, but I underlined it for good measure.

The Wolf looked thoughtful for a moment, his head slightly tilted to the side.

"So, you were the big bad boss, huh? Then how did you ended up getting trapped in here?" he said, and true to his word he didn’t sound mad or judgmental.

"When things got out of hand I made the call to extract all remaining teams, but one of them send word that a member had defected with... sensitive materials. I opted to stay behind and lead the search party. But something went wrong... I can't remember. It's all a blur. The only thing I remember is that something got to us, I got infected and then the Doctor found me. You know the rest."

I didn’t go into it any further. I was surprised I even remembered that much anyway.

"Hmmm... You could say it's karma, but I don't believe in that, just bad luck, Meat. Well for you, good luck for me," he said licking my ear.

I elbowed him on the ribs and he laughed, catching his breath.

A big part of me was relieved he wasn’t making a big deal out of it.

"What? It's true! I don't give a shit about anything else you did before. You're here now, that's all that matters," he said wrapping me in his arms, my back to his chest. "I never wanted to leave; the forest is my domain. And while you're here, I intend on making the most out of it."

He pushed my hat and scarf away and licked my neck, sending shivers down my spine. Things got unexpectedly heated in no time. Even with our weird differences in physiology, I couldn’t deny I enjoyed the feeling of his skillful tongue licking my skin and making me squirm. Or the thrill I felt at the small nips he gave me with his sharp teeth.

After a couple of minutes, I was feeling ready to combust from heat.

"Want something...?" the bastard teased me, knowing full well I couldn’t ask for it.

I was too winded up to back down and I sure as hell didn't want to anyway. I wanted something, anything...

I pushed myself back, placing my head on his left shoulder, my right hand pulled at his fur on the back of his head and I turned my head to bite softly at the underside of his jaw.

That got a deep growl out of the other man, one different from the ones I had heard before.

He got his hands under my shirt, he felt warm and his claws scratched at my skin in a most delightful way.

When his right hand went lower, between my legs, I was sure I wasn’t going to last long. It had been too long and I was too winded up.

There was also the thrill of danger. His sharp claws could hurt me but he took me in hand with measured care, taking the breath out of me. His mouth on my neck and ear could rip me to pieces, but he only made me quiver in pleasure.

I heard him whispering encouragements in my ear, as he pumped my cock, letting me lift my hips in time with his movements. I felt him just as hard underneath me, but he made no move to please himself.

The sounds he was making though, and the feeling of his strong body underneath me made me feel unreasonably hot. Then he bit at the shell of my ear and I was done, releasing on his hand and arching my back, taking in air like a man drowning.

I distantly heard him chuckle and I opened my eyes to see him taking my release on his hand and licking it clean, making a show of it. I rolled my eyes at him but the image did make me twitch.

I felt relaxed, like my whole body was tingling, I noticed the Wolf's left hand running affectionate circles on the skin of my hip.

"You're something extraordinary, Meat... Delightful really," he said nuzzling me. " You can sleep if you want. I'm here."

I half turned to bury my face on the long fur of his neck. He smelled like the woods and dry blood on his fur. Cruel but soft and gentle when he wanted to. I hated everything in that forest, not him though. I wanted him... with an intensity that was beginning to scare me.

I closed my eyes and took a breath. Tomorrow, I thought, I needed to go get that key….

* * *

I woke up to the sound of barking again. I was still laying down, squashed between the back of the sofa and the Wolf, who was frowning at the door. I noticed his ears twitching in different directions.

"Your friend the Trader is here. She doesn't like how he smells, like mushrooms, water and dirt," he said to me.

I frowned, looking down to get my journal and pen, "Wait, so you can understand the dogs?"

He laughed, making me bounce a bit on his chest, "Of course I do! Hehehe. How do you think they listen to me?"

I shrugged, honestly I hadn't thought about it.

"You're so bright but so stupid," the Wolf said grinning, it made his eyes look all squinty, kind of like a fox.

I couldn’t help thinking it looked sort of cute, and I stopped that line of thought completely. I decided it was best to stop all that nonsense, I was going to go to the village, get that key he wanted and be on my merry way...

I couldn’t afford to get attached, especially not to an anthropomorphic wolf. It was the forest, I thought, it had to be, what other explanation was there?

I got up and headed outside to deal with the Trader. He didn't say anything that time but I felt his eyes on the hideout, probably expecting the Wolf to pop out at any moment.

When I came back I found the other man staring at my oven.

"You need this oven to survive the night, right?" he asked seemingly analyzing the many tubes that came out of the thing.

I nodded, honestly I never got it, but the scientists were clear enough.

"Hmm..." he said still looking at it.

I tapped his shoulder and pointed outside.

"You're going out? Okay, see you later then, Meat. Be careful," he said licking the side of my face barely paying attention.

I could tell he was planning something. Still, I trusted him enough to leave him there, I grabbed my stuff and headed to the village through the underground tunnels.

The villagers still gave me the stink eye, but they didn't dare kick me out. The key was just where I left it on the shelf, I just stared at it for a good couple of minutes.

In all honesty, I knew what it probably meant for the poor woman, but it had to be done, right? I needed to find the slippery quack doctor, I needed to leave the forest. And yet... it bothered me... I wasn’t above sacrificing someone for my own gain, but something about giving her to him rubbed me the wrong way. I tried hard not to think too much about why.

Suddenly I was surprised to hear the sound of the door locking from outside and saw a shadow run past the barricaded window. I tried to open the door but it had been blocked from the outside. I cursed. Damn villagers might not have had the guts to kill me but they certainly wanted me dead.

The only way out was the underground cave tunnels where the baby chomper was. I dreaded going through it but I had no choice.

I headed down, hoping I would be able to successfully avoid the monster, but of course, it didn’t work out. I ended up getting lost in the maze and the chomper cornered me. I didn't want to kill it, but it was impossible to escape otherwise. I had to shoot it with my shotgun, it was fast at the very least.

I stood there in the dark, looking at its tiny body. I felt filthy for having done it, hatred for whoever trapped me in there. I bent down and searched the corpse. Tucked under his arm I found something that turned my blood cold, it was a doll. It was ugly and half destroyed, but it was the same that Hanuska had in a tin box behind her.

I stood up, holding it in my hands. For quite I had wondered how conscious those beings actually were. They seemed to be people that had gone through the final stage of the Plague and I wondered how much there really was left of them.

According to the chicken lady, the child was born hideously deformed and the villagers most have thrown him in the well. Had the baby held on to the only memory he had of his mother? I stared at the drawings on the floor of the caves and I knew the answer.

I didn't want to kill it... If I was angry before, I was positively fuming after that.

I pocketed the doll and headed up the well. Once above ground, I made my way to the burned down house where Hanuska lived, glaring daggers at anyone I passed on the way.

I found her sitting on that same chair, staring at nothing. I kneeled in front of her, making sure I was in her line of sight, and showed her the doll.

She didn’t seem to see it at first but slowly her eyes cleared up and she took it with trembling hands. She held the doll close to her chest and teared up, letting out horrible cries that chilled me to the very bone.

I pulled out my journal writing on the back, with big enough letters for her to read.

"Give me the cables and I'll kill the pig."

Burn them all to hell, I thought. They didn't deserve forgiveness...

The woman read my note and nodded, taking the black cables out of her pocket and handing them to me. I put them in my bag and nodded. I could still hear her cries as I descended through the hole in the ground, and I carried them with me as I walked to the pig shed.

I slipped past the two villagers keeping watch on the place and proceeded to repair the cables running from the generator to the Sow's barn.

I fixed the lever in the generator's shack to

maximum voltage, I took a deep breath and pulled it down.

The sounds and smells were gruesome but I forced myself to bare them. The villagers ran off scared and I made my way towards the pig shed. The sounds had stopped but the smell was still awful.

I reached the back and stared at the huge corpse. I touched its head, wishing it to finally rest. I dreaded to think about the number of piglets she was forced to bear. She deserved better.

Next to the Sow's head, I spotted the corpse of the farmer originally in charge of the pig, in his pocket I found a piece of paper with some scribblings. Nothing much, only mad rantings, but it had two numbers that might be part of a code so I kept it.

On my way out I killed one of the pigs walking around and took some of its meat. I gave it to the little musician, who thanked me profusely, I only hoped he would cook it properly.

I felt dirty, I didn’t regret what I had done but I couldn’t help but think I took a step I wouldn’t be able to undo. It was the forest, I kept reminding myself. I only needed to leave and it would all go back to normal...

It was that thinking that got me in trouble. I became obsessed with giving the key to the Wolf, but I couldn’t seem to find him in any of my hideouts or his camps, so I was certain he must have been in the dog compound in the Old Woods.

But it was later than I realized and I lost my way in the dark forest. All of a sudden I found myself having walked into an area surrounded by red chompers that were apparently very protective of a few abandoned bag packs.

I shot a few but there were too many and the sound attracted even more. One of them tackled me and I fell to the ground, using the shotgun to stop his ferocious jaws from taking a bite out of me.

I was sure I was going to die; I couldn’t say I didn’t deserve it, but then I heard a furious roar and a big shadow pushed the chomper off of me. I crawled back and stared in awe as the Wolf tore into the then frantic chomper. He killed him easily with his jaws, but the rest decided to ignore me and focused their attacks on him. They jumped on his back and bit at his arms, scratching and tearing into his flesh. The painful cry he let out finally pulled me out of my reverie and I got up, pulling out my handgun, and took aim.

It was hard, because of all the movement, I didn’t want to hit him by accident, but I was always a good shot and it paid off as I hit one of the chompers square in the face, giving the Wolf enough chance to grab the others and tore them to pieces.

When they were all dead he kneeled down though, clearly exhausted. I rushed to his side, grimacing at the state of him.

"It looks worse than it is, Meat. I just need to lay down for a bit," he grumbled trying to sound okay.

I shook my head and urged him to get up. If he fell unconscious in the middle of the forest there was no way I would be able to drag him to safety. He would be eaten by chompers in no time. I found myself dreading the thought of losing him, more than I could have imagined. I was trembling all over as I pushed myself forward, urging him to go faster, heading back to the Dry Meadow hideout, it was closer than the other two. I had no idea if we would make it, but I had to try.

As I walked I was aware of the trail of blood he was leaving behind. By the time we reached the burned down house that separated both biomes, the Wolf looked ready to faint at any second. I leaned him on the wall and pulled out a couple of painkillers from my bag, opening up his jaws and pushing them in. He growled a bit but swallowed them.

I’m not even sure how we made it to the hideout but we did. I dropped him in the bed and rushed out to gather buckets of water from the well, turned the generator on, and locked all entrances. The hounds were gathering outside, they sounded agitated for their master, the smell of blood putting them on edge. I was glad mine was back at the Silent Forest hideout.

I headed back to the bedroom with enough medical supplies for both of us. He was looking rough but thankfully keeping awake.

"Don't worry, kid. I'm more resilient than you'd think," he said looking at me with a small, crooked grin. There was blood all over his mouth, from the chompers, his eyes looked tired and his ears were pushed back, not in anger but concern. I didn’t like it.

During the next half hour, I did all I could to clean all of his wounds and patched them up with bandages and alcohol. I also made him drink plenty of water, which had wonderful healing properties.

He was unusually quiet during the whole thing. It was already night by the time I finished and put away my supplies. I turned around to find him staring at me thoughtfully.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded. "You don't look so fine..."

I was suddenly really mad... I wanted to scream at him. How dare he be concerned about me when he almost got killed saving me! All because of my recklessness... I should have known better. It was late and dark, and I felt lost...

I didn’t want to lose anything else to that place. I had already lost myself, my sanity, my body, and my health... I was going to take something back from it, even if it was crazy, even if it was wrong... I intended to keep us.

"I know you just spent a lot of time patching me up, Meat. But you're looking at me like you're about to kill me," he said with a burst of nervous laughter.

I shook my head and tackled him down on the bed, resting on his lap with probably more force than it was advisable. He let out a small huff and whine but didn't push me away.

I kissed and softly bit at any part of his face I could reach. He placed his hands on my hips and licked me back, nuzzling me with enthusiasm.

It was terribly uncoordinated and messy, but I was growing heated in no time, I felt him hard underneath me as well. It turned out he hadn't lost that much blood...

I heard him chuckle as I blindly tried to open his pants and push his hoodie up. He just lifted his hips a bit, pushing his pants down and I took a second to look at what I was working with. I was somewhat relieved to see that he was fairly human-looking underneath his clothes, in fact, his whole mid area was much less furry than the rest of him. His cock was big and slightly redder than the average one but definitely human. It was slick to the touch tough, which made it easier for me to take him in hand and get a loud moan out of him.

We were pressed together front to front and I enjoyed the feeling of him being pinned underneath me, of being in control of at least one thing in that God-forsaken place. 

He let out sounds that bordered on animalistic, pushing his head back onto the pillow and baring his throat. I couldn’t resist burying my face in the scruff of his neck, even if he still smelled of dirt and blood, I relished in the fact that he was there, alive next to me.

I pulled down my own pants and took us both in hand, his slick helped with the friction and we were both unraveling in no time.

He scratched at my back as he came, the slight pain and pleasure pushed me over the edge and I spilled on my hand and his body.

I struggled to catch my breath, half laying on top of him. He chuckled softly and took my hand up to his mouth, licking me clean. My cock did a valiant effort to perk up at the sight. He grinned, the smug bastard, sucking on my fingers.

"If I knew playing the knight in shining armor got you this hot and bothered I would have done it sooner," he teased me.

I poked him on the ribs, making him laugh. He looked at me fondly, I felt his tail moving, tapping on the mattress. I couldn’t help the warm feeling in my chest... I cared for the stupid mutt, more than I wish I did, more than it was probably advisable... Still, I couldn’t find it in me to stop. He was my Wolf from then on. 

I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder, careful not to put too much weight on his injured arm.

"Good night, dear Meat," I heard him say before falling asleep. It had been one hectic, awful day...

* * *

I woke up before morning, there was little light out, but there was still a while before the Trader arrived. The Wolf was sleeping next to me, his mouth slightly open so he was snoring a bit. It made me chuckle, I leaned on my elbow, looking down at him.

The day before I was set on giving him the key and leaving. I wasn’t so sure anymore... I knew I would eventually have to, but I found myself wishing to delay it as much as possible.

There were still things that needed doing and secrets left uncovered... Things I could look into before going after the doctor. Maybe I would find something that could help cure the plague...

I put my hand in my pocket and felt the shape of the key. I knew he'd be mad if he found out I was hiding it from him, but I couldn’t give it to him just yet. So, I got up quietly and headed out to the generator room outside, where I hid it in the clothes of a corpse that was laying on the floor.

I turned off the generator and turned the corner to see a rather disturbing finding. There was a circle of bloody pig heads near the entrance of the hideout. I didn't need to be a genius to figure out who did it. It was a message from the village, they knew it was me who killed the Sow.

"What the hell is that?" the Wolf said, startling me. I turned around to see him leaning on the door of the hideout. He still looked a little worse for wear, but at least his wounds were not bleeding.

I took out my journal and wrote a note, walking over to show it to him.

"I might have done something a bit drastic yesterday..."

The Wolf read it and tilted his head to the side, then he spotted something behind me and I heard the Trader walk into the clearing. He stayed on the other side of the fence, waiting for me to approach.

The Wolf frowned but said nothing as I headed out there.

I exchanged goods with him, he didn’t say anything but he was looking at the Wolf with curiosity. I saw him write something on his arm.

"What happened to him?" he asked.

I was surprised he wanted to know, I figured it was not a big deal to tell him.

"He saved me from some chompers, got a few nasty wounds for his trouble." I wrote down.

The Trader hummed, nodding. He then reached into his bag and pulled out a couple of clean bandages, handing them to me and gesturing at the Wolf, before turning around and walking away.

I stood there, not sure what had happened, but it appeared the Wolf had earned the man's approval...

"What was that?" he asked when I got back inside.

"He said those are for you. I think he appreciated you saving me," I wrote.

He frowned, then shrugged but flinched at the movement. I shook my head, grabbing a glass of water and handing it to him.

"What did you do yesterday, Meat? Why is someone leaving pig heads on your doorstep?" he said taking the glass and standing close to me, pushing me against the workbench.

I sighed, knowing full well how much he was going to love the news.

"I killed The Mother of all Pigs..."

His eyes went incredibly big and his tail moved frantically.

"Bravo, Meat! No more squeals!" he exclaimed grinning at me and squeezing my arms. "I can fucking hear the pitiful sobs of old wretches and the pleas of peasants, begging their beloved Forest to bring back the sow's life. Poor fuckers have no idea we will be the only ones to hear their cries! Hahaha!"

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that... When I did it, I wanted revenge sure, but afterward, I felt like I might have overdone it a bit. And yet...

"This is music to my ears, Meat! Their lamentations make me calm. Finally, I will be able to sleep soundly..." he continued, nuzzling my face. I rolled my eyes at him, fully aware he slept pretty peacefully already. "I bet they will attempt to break through the wall of trees. Oh, such a shame that I can't breathe in their desperation up close!"

He was clearly having a good time imaging it, I couldn’t say the same, but part of me thought it was exactly what they deserved. The way they treated the musician and the cruelty that was done to poor Hanuska...

"Meat, you should say hello from me when you're in the village! Send them my greetings!" I heard the Wolf say, looking really excited, I shook my head, I was not eager to go back there anytime soon.

"Oh, come on! You can't say no to little old me, who faced a rabid mob of monsters for you!" he exclaimed giving me a look that was disturbingly close to puppy eyes.

It made me chuckle and I shook my head, pushing him away.

"Little good that sacrifice will mean if they kill me on sight back there. What else do you think those heads mean?" I wrote.

He deflated a little, lowering his tail and ears. I sighed, shaking my head and moving closer. I reached up to rub his cheeks and scratched behind his ears. He closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

After a couple of minutes, I backed away, looking at his wounds. I had to change his bandages but I wanted to clean off all the dry blood on his fur first. There was no bathtub in that hideout though.

I took out my map and pointed to the Silent Forest hideout.

"You want us to go there?" he asked and I nodded. "Heh, very well, Meat. I was itching for a walk anyway."

I packed enough supplies for the road and left everything for the next time I came back. I ignored the pang of guilt I felt as I walked past the generator room.

The road was fortunately uneventful, the Wolf was walking slowly, shaking his head from time to time like he had a headache. I sent worried looks his way and he rolled his eyes at me, annoyed that I might think him in need of help.

We went through the abandoned house and reached the Silent Forest, there beyond the line of trees, I saw my dog waiting for us. She walked over to greet us, moving her tail, and seemed especially interested in sniffing around the Wolf, who waved her away with a soft growl.

We both went inside the hideout, the Wolf looked tired so I pointed to the sofa and urged him to take a seat. Once he was settled I went out to the well to get enough water to fill the tub and even heat some up so it helped relax his muscles. I had no soap or shampoo, but I figured water would be enough to clean him up a little.

Once I was happy with the temperature of the bath I went to find him and urged him to stand up and follow me. He reluctantly did but stopped cold at the sight of the bathtub.

I pointed to it, wondering what the problem was.

"Is that... for me?" he asked and I nodded. He walked over to it and dipped a finger in the water. "It's warm..."

He sounded strange, if I didn't know better I'd say he sounded touched by the gesture. I pulled on his coat, trying to get him to take his clothes off. I was surprised when he flinched back a bit and looked away, eyes roaming his surroundings.

He looked fidgety and something dawned on me. "Are you getting shy on me?" I wrote in my journal.

The Wolf huffed, straightening himself up, "No I'm not," he bit back, but made no move to disrobe.

"What happened to us mutants not being ashamed of each other?" I wrote.

His muzzle furrowed but he sighed in defeat, beginning to take off his coat. I did give him some modicum of privacy, heading out to throw a piece of meat to the dog and check on the generator. I locked the door upon returning and found him laying down on the tub. It was a bit of a tight fit, and he was forced to have his hind legs out on the tub’s border, but the water did cover most of him so that was good.

He had his back to me, I could stare without showing my reaction, but I could see the way his body was tense and his ears were pulled back, he was definitely not comfortable being exposed like that.

He looked pretty much like I had imagined, under his clothes. His body was mostly humanoid looking in the middle, except for being covered in soft fur. His legs were noticeably different though, with clearly powerful, longer thighs, with knees bent in an awkward angle, like those of an actual canine. His hind legs were thinner than his thighs but still looked strong, and ended in small paws that had me suddenly wondering if he had toe pads down there, he didn’t in his hands but still...

I heard him clear his throat in annoyance, "Have you had your fill back there?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes, even if he couldn't see it from there. As insane and bewildering as it was, I didn’t mind his body one bit. If anything, it was his face the thing I had to get used to at first, but once I had got past the shock, he was just a humanoid wolf... or a wolf looking man. Both, I guessed.

He was strong and that was always something that got my blood pumping. Plus, our sense of humor and snark matched each other pretty well... perhaps even better than most of the people I had been with...

The forest had messed with my perception of things enough that he was one of the most normal things I had seen in a while. If anything, I might have looked worse than him, honestly.

I took off my hat and coat and kneeled behind him, leaning on the border of the tub. Then wrapped my arms around his neck and bit playfully at his cheek. That made his ears perk up and he half turned around to look at me.

I smiled back at him, dipping my hand in the water and splashing his snout with a few drops. He squinted and shook his head like a dog, it made me chuckle, and reached out to kiss him. The Wolf still looked wary of my reaction, but let himself lean into the touch, licking my hands and face.

Before things get too heated though, I pulled back and grabbed a piece of fabric from my bag. I dipped it in the water and began scrubbing off the dry blood from his neck and arms.

He let out a soft whine when I rubbed near his wounds but quickly relaxed at my gentle touch, his head lolling back to rest against the edge of the tub.

"I was going back to your house when I heard the chompers all excited about something. Then I caught your scent and ran over. I had my gun but I didn't want to risk hitting you and I wanted to tear them to pieces anyway... Pitiful little creatures thinking they can take what's mine...." he said growling.

I shook my head, feeling pleased and worried, it was complicated... I settled for kissing his cheek, dipping the rag in the water, and lifting his chin to clean him up.

"Were you going to tell me the news about the Sow?" he asked clearly enjoying the touch.

I felt guilty remembering the key but nodded anyway. I wanted to apologize for being reckless, technically I hadn’t even thanked him, but I couldn’t write with wet hands.

I rubbed at his throat and down his chest, urging him to dip lower into the water so the blood washed off him. He growled but obeyed, dipping his head down and coming back up, shaking his head, splashing me with water. I punched him in the shoulder and he chuckled.

"I have a surprise for you, Meat. Back at my hideout," he said with a grin. He looked funny with wet hair, thinner.

I was certainly curious about it. I hoped it wasn’t a stuffed animal, or lord forbid, a human.

I grabbed a large piece of fabric that I found and hand it to him so he could dry off. He looked quite funny with his hair all spiked and messy. He leaned down to let me help dry his head as much as possible.

He still seemed a bit uncomfortable being exposed so I handed him the fabric and sent him to the sofa while I tried to clean up his clothes as much as possible.

Later, after wrapping his wounds back up, I took out my journal and wrote to him, "I'm sorry I wasn't more careful... Thank you for... killing them."

He read it, tucked under a blanket I laid on the sofa. I saw his tail moving slowly under it.

"It's nothing really, dear Meat. Just... don’t ever do that again, got it?" he said with a tired grin.

I nodded, brushing my fingers through his still damp hair.

In the end, it took a couple of days for him to get back on his feet. I hunted some rabbits for him to eat, cleaned his wounds, and changed his bandages.

He behaved, for the most part, even if I could see he was getting restless from being indoors for too long. There was no bed in that hideout, I knew of one I could take nearby, but I wouldn’t be able to drag it there on my own, so the Wolf had to keep on sleeping on the sofa for a while. We didn't take things any further between us, but there was plenty of kissing and licking, that I knew the other man was definitely interested.

Luckily, the villagers left me alone, I visited the musician and he told me that he saw the villagers dragging a cart with the dead sow on it. He claimed it wasn't as beautiful as they previously said it was and that it looked somewhat like himself, which made me sad for him.

He told me the villagers had been mourning the pig and trying to cut through the wall of trees that surrounded the forest, just like the Wolf said they would. I wasn’t sure if it could be done, but perhaps their desperation was big enough to make it.

On the third day, the Wolf finally insisted on heading out, urging me to take the trip to the Old Woods to visit his hideout.

I reluctantly agreed, packing some stuff and locking up the doors and windows. My dog followed us, alert to any threat near us.

"We should probably give her a name," I wrote on a stop we made for him to rest.

The Wolf snorted at me after reading it, "She's a dog, that's her name."

I shrugged, looking at her, he gave me a half-hearted frown but seemed to think about it.

"How about Bride? You did find her at a wedding," he said as we started moving again.

I chuckled and patted his back, nodding. By the movement of his tail, I could tell he was proud.

The dog compound was as loud as always. Bride seemed nervous at first but was quick to establish dominance in the pack with a few well-aimed bites at those that annoyed her.

The Wolf lead us through the main door, the dogs growled but never made a move on me. They looked too thin and weak for my taste though, so I stopped and got some meat out of my bag and threw it at them. The Wolf gave me a curious look but said nothing.

I followed him to the main door and watched him turn on the generator. He turned to face me with a big grin on his face.

"Behold the fruit of my amazing DIY abilities," he said opening the door and urging me inside.

The first thing I noticed was that the place looked a little bit cleaner, with less dust and cobwebs. The second was that I could breathe better there, or at least as good as I could back at my hideouts. It was then that I noticed the tubing running down the floor, emanating the same miasma that prevented the floor gore from invading the hideouts.

I followed the tubing to his modified oven. I had noticed it before but honestly didn't think it was even functional.

I turned to look at him surprised and found him grinning proudly.

"I found the information on how to build it tucked in your mushroom book. I had some of the necessary things laying around so I made it, it's not like I was using that thing anyway," he said gesturing to the oven. "This way you don't have to go all the way back to your den at sundown, you can spend the night here."

I didn't know what to say, or how to react. On the one hand, it was a nice gesture, he clearly put some work into it to make me comfortable in his space. But it also felt like such a commitment... I was trapped in this endless loop of feeling pleased to be close to him and yet ashamed of how good it felt, of how "normal" it had all become. Ashamed of the fact that I was not running away through that tunnel even though I could.

"It's not a big deal, Meat. It only took me one afternoon," the other man said after I probably kept quiet for too long. "I don't think you're aware of how emotions have smells... You're feeling uneasy, don't. I remember your plans to leave, I'm not doing this to get you to stay. If anything, it's to make MY life easier."

I turned around to face him, surprised by how on point he was on his reading of me. He had his paws in his pockets, looked relaxed enough, but I could see his tail, low and unmoving. So...as long as we were both on the same page...

I closed the space between us and pulled him down to hurriedly kiss his snout and cheeks. He was quick to get on board with the turn of events and grabbed my hips pulling me close and walking me backward. My back hit the wall and he lifted me up so I had no choice but wrap my legs around him.

He licked his way into my mouth, which shouldn't have felt as good as it did, but it made me moan in pleasure. He tucked his face into my neck, licking and nipping, beginning to try and take off my clothes with impatient hands.

"I also dragged a bed through the back..." he groaned against my skin.

I was quickly getting the picture of where things were going and I was done denying how much I wanted it. I nodded, hoping he got the idea.

He grinned, licking his lips, grabbing my backside, and lifting me. He walked us to the bed, I got the distinct impression I didn’t weight anything to him. He dropped me on the mattress, it wasn’t soft but it was thankfully not soggy or smelling of dampness.

He stood above me and began taking off his coat and jacket. I followed suit, even if I was feeling embarrassed by my poor physique, I still wanted to feel him pressing close to me. The place was dark enough anyway, the only light being the fairy lights he hanged on the walls.

Once we were both naked, he moved to rest between my legs, pressing his already hard cock against mine. He began punching his hips forward, rocking against me in short, sharp movements.

The friction made my toes curl in pleasure, I pushed my head back, baring my throat to what was arguably a deathly predator, but I didn’t have it in me to care.

He smiled against my skin, taking my hands in his and pinning them above my head.

"I want you..." he grunted burying his head on my neck, his voice sounded deeper and his breathing was shaky. "I want to have you. You'll let me, won't you, my dear Meat? I'll be gentle..."

Something about the way he said it had me giving up any reservations I had left, so I nodded eagerly.

I saw his tail moving side to side, he tried to hide it as he leaned back to sit on my lap, but I sat up and ran a hand down his back, ending in his strong and fluffy tail, pulling on it a little.

He snarled playfully, putting his paws on my shoulders, and pushing me back to bed.

"Lean back and let me take care of things, you menace," he said, clearly fighting back a grin.

He moved down my body, between my legs and I jumped a bit at the feeling of hot breath on my cock. The thought did cross my mind that letting someone with that many sharp teeth near my private parts might be ill-advised, but I completely forgot about it when he licked me from root to tip in the most perfect way I had ever experienced.

His tongue curled around my cock, dragging up and down, and I struggled to even breathe. I looked down and saw him smirking, the bastard. I pushed my head back, trying to conjure up the mental image of any of the very disturbing things I had seen in the forest, but my mind had gone completely blank from pleasure.

Thankfully, he stopped before I let myself go and looked up at me, "I can't use my fingers on account of the claws, dear. But judging from that reaction, I think you'll enjoy this far more."

I was too far gone to fight back when he turned me over on my stomach, lifting my hips a little. I knew where that was going but nothing prepared me for the feeling of his tongue on my entrance, making its way in effortlessly. I clutched at the frail sheets on the bed, sure that I'd be moaning in pleasure if I could.

He dipped his tongue into me, swirling inside while using a hand to carefully scratch at my back. I tried to push back into it, get him deeper, but he took his own sweet time working me open. It was the most intense, mind-blowing feeling I had ever experienced.

When he pushed on a particular spot inside of me, I felt desperate to have him inside of me. I would have been begging by then if I could, but as it was I could only push back into him and hit the side of the mattress.

I felt him huff behind me, as he stopped his ministrations, "You feel ready, Meat?" he said gently running his claws through my right flank.

I nodded effusively, burying my face in the sheets in shame of my desperation.

He chuckled but thankfully complied, positioning himself flush against me. I could feel his hard cock between my cheeks as he licked my back from bottom to shoulder blades, mounting me.

I felt his hot breath on my shoulder, he nuzzled my face, licking my ear, "You're doing so well, such a wonderful mate..." he said.

I had no time to think about the meaning of those words as he pushed into me, slow and steady. I heard him groan, pushing his whole weight on me. He was heavy, but the feeling of his warm body encompassing me brought out some deep need for comfort and protection that I relished in.

He didn’t stop until he was flushed against me, giving me a moment to adapt. He was big, definitely the biggest I’d had, but not thick enough that it was too uncomfortable or painful, the slick texture helped as well. I took a deep breath and he licked my shoulder and neck offering whatever comfort he could from his position.

I tapped his arm next to me when I felt ready for more. He made a pleased sound and pulled his hips back before pushing back in and from then on it was pure delicious torture to hold back my release.

He fucked me like he needed to own me, to possess, to take, to make a claim on my skin before someone else dared take me away from him. His thrusts were quick and powerful, the way no ordinary human could ever be, but he was never violent. In the few moments of lucidity I could manage, I saw how he was pulling back the urge to just take like his instincts were probably telling him, but he was mindful of my face and my scent, burying his snout on the crook of my neck and taking deep breaths in between thrusts, breathing me in, nosing close to my pulse, enough to press his tongue over it and sense its rapid beat.

It was strange to feel so utterly protected by such a terrible creature. Because even though I was undeniably fond of the other man, I knew how much of a bastard he was, and yet... there we were, bound together.

I was close, oh so close to release, when he wrapped his arms around my middle, pushing me further into the mattress, putting more force into his thrusts and pounding mercilessly into that one glorious spot, and just like that, I was gone.

He growled, a deep primal sound, nipping my shoulder with enough force to draw blood, but just enough that it wasn’t too painful. In the haziness of my release, I thought I heard him murmuring as he came, burying himself deep in the warmth of my body, "Mine, all mine..."

It should have frightened me, worried me at the very least, instead, I felt safe, taken care of. That indifference I normally felt after indulging in being taken by another man wasn’t there at all, instead I felt oddly present. For once that place didn’t feel like an ugly nightmare, just for a few moments, I could pretend that was all there was, that bliss.

I grimaced a little when he pulled out of me, he took notice and hummed, running a hand down my back.

"Let me clean you up, dear. After all, you've been very good" he said kneeling behind me.

Before I could make sense of his words he was dipping his tongue back into me, making my toes curl at the over-sensitivity I experienced. He took his time again, and against all reason, I managed to get hard again. He chuckled when he noticed and took me in hand, making me reach completion in no time, from how sensitive I was.

Finally, he let me turn to lay on my back and crawled up the bed, grunting when he flopped half on top of me. He had a pleased, relaxed expression on his face. I caressed his soft fur, almost without thinking about it, it was a familiar comfort by then.

"Heh, I take it you enjoyed that?" he grinned, turning to look at me. 

I rolled my eyes at him, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

He chuckled, nuzzling on my shoulder, "So you'll be staying the night then?"

I nodded. I hoped his oven did the job; I wasn’t heading to that death trap of a hideout in the Old Woods anyway.

I wanted to ask him more about the oven, I wanted to say I was grateful, to tell him I actually really, really enjoyed that... But my journal was too far away from the bed and I didn’t want to move. Instead, I gestured for the sheets laying on the side, the Wolf pulled them over both of us and laid back down.

I kissed the top of his head, running my fingers through the dark markings on his soft fur. He closed his eyes, looking pleased, and sleepy. I felt oddly protective of him, protective of that moment in time, under the covers, warm with our shared body heat. I wished I could keep that place away from all the madness that lurked outside.

But mostly I wished that I could have found something that felt like that before... Out there in the normal, ordinary life I had led, I wished I could have met him there, that we were both healthy and just enough of a couple of bastards to get along perfectly and fall into bed together. I wished we could get breakfast together and head out for work, instead of going out to hunt rabbits and kill more monsters...

But then... he wouldn't have been who he was, would he? He would have been something else, someone normal... I would have been someone else, that other man... Would he have cared for the Wolf?

"You're thinking too much, Meat," he grumbled, and I looked down to see him staring at me with his big yellow eyes that had some shine to them even in the dark. "Stop it, it's keeping me awake."

I shook my head at him, scratching his cheeks and dipping further down the bed to wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his fur. I never willingly cuddled before, but there I was... He eagerly returned the embrace and let out a pleased whine.

We fell asleep together.

* * *

There was a hell of a lot of barking outside when I woke up the next day. I opened my eyes and found the bed empty, but there was still enough heat on it that I figured the other man hadn’t been gone for too long.

I sat up when I heard the door open, immediately thinking of where I had left my gun, but relaxed when I saw it was him.

"I figured the sound would wake you up. I got up early, guessing your friend would track you here, like he always seems to be able to," he said with a note of bitterness in his voice. "So, I waited outside so the dogs wouldn't eat him. What a shame that'd be... Anyway, he's waiting outside for you. Looks scared shitless though so I'd hurry. Here are your clothes, unless you want to give him a show?"

I shook my head, getting out of bed and hurriedly putting on my clothes. He grabbed my scarf before I could put it on though.

"Yes, I prefer to be the only one to see you like that..." he said wrapping it around my neck. "There, all bundled up again."

I gave him a small smile and grabbed my bag next to the door. He looked uncomfortable, so I took out my journal and wrote that I would be right back. He relaxed immediately.

I headed out through the back and found the Trader standing by the tree line, looking at the many hounds barking at him. Bride was sitting by the door, having apparently decided the man was no threat.

He was already writing something in his arm when I got there.

"You spent the night here, how?" he asked.

"He found the oven design and made one of his own," I simply wrote.

He looked at me for a moment, hands limp at his side. I could barely see through his helmet, but I got the impression I was being analyzed.

Finally, he grabbed the pen again and wrote, "Are you staying in the forest then? With him?"

I was aware that was what he wanted from the start, for me to stop searching for a way out, and I was tempted to deny it just because of that, but I turned to look at the building and saw the Wolf standing next to Bride by the door, seemingly talking to her. It was... endearing.

"I'm not staying. But I think I'm going to take my time... He knows,” I wrote.

He seemed disappointed at my answer, "We belong more here than we would back there, my friend. You fit with him; I can see that now."

I wasn’t sure what more to say, so I shrugged instead, offering the stuff I didn’t need from my bag and taking some more ammo in return.

The Wolf wasn’t at the door when I turned around, I walked back taking a closer look at the pack of dogs. They were an effective deterrent to any enemies that dared to approach but they looked really sickly and hungry. Their whole space was filthy too.

I headed back inside and found him sitting on the bed. He looked a bit put out, maybe a bit jealous.

At first I was just curious if the oven would actually work, but after I knew it did, staying in there to be able to further explore the Old Woods seemed like a good arrangement. Not to mention I could sleep peacefully without getting attacked and well... indulge in other activities that I would very much like a repeat of.

I took off my coat, hat, and scarf again and placed them on a nearby sofa, I kept my journal though. I walked up to him and sat by his side.

"Thank you for the oven. I really appreciate it" I wrote down, showing it to him.

"Yes, I could tell from your enthusiastic reaction," he said with a teasing grin.

I nudged his side, unable to hide a grin of my own.

"Am I to live here for now, then?" I wrote.

"You can do whatever you want, Meat. But sure, you can stay in my humble abode for as long as you want," he said leaning back on the bed, still sitting down. He sounded awfully confident I would.

I smiled and turned around to sit on his lap, it took him by surprise a bit.

"Then, if I am to live here some things will have to change," I wrote and grinned when he read it and immediately frowned.

"Like what?" he asked, eyeing his stuffed people suspiciously.

"Like fixing the barn that's in shambles, cleaning up the yard a bit, and feeding those malnourished dogs out there," I wrote down. "You can keep your stuffed friends but don't make any new ones, please."

He rolled his eyes at me, "You're such a spoilsport..."

I pointedly rolled my hips above him, showing him the note I hastily wrote, "We can indulge in other pass times, but ONLY if you fix the barn."

"Oh, I just knew this was going to happen..." he said with a laugh, pushing his head back and grabbing my hips with his big paws. "Fine. WE can fix the barn and feed the animals. Happy?"

I shrugged, grinning. He huffed, sitting up, wrapping his arms around my back, and began licking my neck. It was a long while before we got out of bed that day. We did go hunting for rabbits though, I admitted his superior sense of smell was quite useful in tracking prey. We caught 4 rabbits in no time, and I collected several different mushrooms.

He ate two of the rabbits and I shared the other two with the dogs, telling him I didn’t really need to eat. He seemed annoyed at that, I got the feeling he wanted to provide for me, and the word he used before, "mate", came back to my mind. I supposed it was as fitting as any other. We were living together and bedding each other after all...

We both worked on cleaning up the back yard and front fence areas. The dogs ignored me by then, taking one sniff at me and knowing I belonged with their master.

I asked about the fat dogs on the barn and immediately regretted it when he explained they were pregnant but that if one of their pups was a big hound, infected, then that one would eat the others in her womb and kill anything they could find as well when it was born. So, he kept them apart, laying around old weak dogs for the pups to eat once they were out. It was gruesome, even for me, so I drew a line, I agreed to keep the pregnant dogs apart, but took the poor old ones out of their misery and we built decent pens for the dogs to have their puppies without endangering the rest.

The Wolf grumbled a bit about all the work but between the two of us, the job was done rather quickly. In the end, the place looked something like it probably did before the Event.

The next few nights were just as uneventful as the first, no one dared to go near the dog compound. I'd seen some mad men walking near, but nothing invaded the Wolf's territory.

There was one rainy night when the place got really cold. I was laying in bed on my side, the Wolf always wrapped an arm around me, nosing on my shoulder, it usually was enough to keep me warm but that night the freezing winds were merciless.

"Are you cold? You're shaking like a leaf," the Wolf said wrapping himself closer to me.

I nodded, gesturing to the storm outside, and turned around to bury my face on his fur. He ran hot, but I was still shivering. I felt him huff and begin rubbing my arms for heat.

It took me a little while longer to manage to fall asleep and when I did it was a restless, nervous thing. When I woke up it was thankfully no longer raining and I saw the Wolf already up, getting ready to head out.

"I'm just going to hunt down some food, you can keep on sleeping if you want," he said waving off my concern.

He leaned down to lick my cheek before grabbing his gun and going out the back. I got the feeling he was up to something, but it was probably nothing serious. I followed his advice and closed my eyes for a little bit longer.

The next time I woke up I heard the dogs barking. I got dressed, packed my things, and headed out to check on them. I found them near the back entrance, they were all sitting by the fence and I was surprised to see the Wolf on the other side.

I went out and gasped when I saw what he was doing. He had killed a big stag, those monstrous animals that I so hated, and he was skinning it as it hung from the branch of a tree. He had taken off his coat and rolled up his sleeves to work, it was a bloody sight but I could see from the bucket full of entrails that the worst was already done.

Bride waged her tail when she noticed me, she was sitting by his side, munching on a big piece of meat. The Wolf turned to see me approach with a big smile on his face.

"Behold the amazing work of your great Hunter!" he said with an exaggerated flourish.

I smiled, the possessive pronoun making me feel warm regardless of how much I tried not to let it. He wasn't mine to keep any more than I was his, and yet there we were...

I took out my journal and wrote, "You killed the monster! My hero!"

I showed him, making a fainting gesture and he laughed, licking the side of my face with childish glee.

"Laugh all you want, Meat. Once I'm done working on it, this beast's furs will keep you warm at night and its flesh will keep the pooches fed for weeks," he said, looking proudly at his bloody work.

Finally, it dawned on me why he'd chosen to do that then. I remember his thoughtful look when I told him I hated those creatures, he filed away the information and had killed it to avoid another night like the one before. He had no need for a warm blanket as he was already perfectly equipped for the cold, but I wasn't and he was taking care of me.

I smiled, I wasn't used to his thoughtful nature, it seemed odd in a man so cruel with others, but ever since the change in our relationship, he did nothing more than provide for us. The word mate came back to my mind. It felt right.

Avoiding his bloody paws, I pulled him down to lay a kiss on his snout, reaching up to caress the back of his ears which prompted a deep groan out of him.

"Hmmm don't be mean, Meat. I can't afford distractions until I'm done with this," he said pushing me back with a smile. "Go do your own thing for a while. I'll take care of the place today."

I nodded, heading out to explore the Old Woods. The place was still relentless in its pursuit to kill me, but in my days living there, I had learned to anticipate its dangers.

Chompers were easier to dispatch now, though part of me still felt guilty about killing them when my thoughts went back to Hanuska's child.

I wondered if the disease and mutations caused by the woods could in any way be regressed... Could I perhaps find a cure in the depths of the forest? If so, would the people there want to be cured? If they could remember all they had done while infected, I didn’t think so. My partner would have definitely hated it.

But who was I to know what a cure would look like? The only one left there who might have had a clue was the doctor and he was nowhere to be found.

I struggled every day with the knowledge of the key's whereabouts. I knew I should leave, I felt good but I was infected like the rest. Who knew what could change in me if I stayed longer. But every night I went to sleep in his warmth and every time he took me apart in bed I felt pleased and sated in a way I never did before. I felt home. So, I pretended to forget about that dead body in the generator room and the burning key in its pocket.

I should have known nothing stayed buried in the Darkwoods.

* * *

It started with something like an itch. I caught him staring at the window sometimes, with a faraway look on his face. He ate more and more and seemed to never be truly satisfied with it, as if the meat turned sour in his mouth.

As weeks went by he became more and more restless. He moved around the house like a caged animal and even when we headed out into the forest he seemed trapped somehow.

I asked him about it but he said it was nothing and waved me off. I pretended to believe him but I knew something was off.

A couple of days later as we got ready for bed he asked me if I was still looking for his key. He said it trying to sound casual, as if he didn't care whether I did or not, but I could see the shine in his eyes, the eagerness...

I told him I hadn't returned to the village ever since the Sow incident, the villagers would want me dead after all.

He nodded, thoughtful, I thought that was that but the next day he insisted again, saying maybe they were over it by now. Or maybe they had already starved to death. He said he was craving chicken meat, that maybe we could steal one, but I knew it wasn't about the birds, it was about Her...

Wrongly I had thought that our arrangement, our relationship, was enough for him. We took care of each other, he seemed always pleased and sated after a tumble on the sheets, but then the next morning the anxiousness was back and he stared at the window itching to get out.

I struggled with a conflicting clash of emotions. I felt guilty of the knowledge I had, I felt afraid of what he would do if he got his paws on that key, I felt jealousy at his need of her. I felt shame... I wanted to keep him. And I knew, with absolute certainty, that whatever happened after he would get that key would destroy our fragile entanglement... One way or another I was losing the safety I had gained and I too found myself thinking about moving on, about finding the doctor and leaving before all got tainted by tragedy. But it wasn't until he told me he was thinking of going to the village himself that I saw I truly had no choice left.

I had lied before; I'd returned to the village once or twice. I had sneaked in through the holes and saw the horrible show they had made of the pig's carcass. I saw the weeping villagers and I was spotted by one of them. They told me I was asked to see the Mayor in the Village Cellar for a "chat".

Needless to say, I didn't go to what was obviously a trap to kill me.

But the point was that they were angry and desperate. I saw how they tried to break through the wall of trees. I saw their hunger.

They didn't all attack me, maybe because I still looked human enough, but if the Wolf decided to head in there and they spotted him, I was sure they would try to kill him. And he had a better gun sure, but not that many bullets. Not enough to fight off a very angry mob.

I tried to get him to stop. I got angry and we fought, as much as I could writing on my journal at least. I wanted to scream at him, to hit him, but it wouldn't have changed anything, he wouldn't listen...

I raised my hands in surrender, grabbed my stuff, and rushed out the door. The dogs were barking like crazy, catching the scent of their master's distress. I heard him call for me but I just ran. It was late in the day but I managed to get to the Dry Meadow hideout. I wanted a night without him, so I could think clearly.

I tried sleeping, but every sound got me on edge. I'd forgotten how stressful nights were without him. I shouldn't have. I knew this thing between us couldn't last and I had allowed myself to get attached.

I felt as if I was right back where I had started, maybe that's why it happened...

I stood watch all night, nothing came in until the Trader made his way inside in the morning. He looked a bit uncomfortable, so I pulled out my journal and asked him what was going on.

He wrote back in a hurry, "The Wolf is sitting outside by the fence. I asked if he was going to come inside but he said you probably won't let him..."

I sighed, of course he had tracked me down and waited there for God knows how long... I nodded, exchanged some stuff I needed to get rid of, and sent him on his way.

I opened the door and saw the Wolf standing there in the property boundaries, looking a little worse for wear. I waved him inside and turned back around to the living room.

I stood by the oven, with my arms crossed, and waited for him to say his peace. The Wolf came in and closed the door behind him, he looked frustrated, his ears were pushed back and his hair was ruffled.

"You didn't have to run off like that, Meat. No need to be dramatic..."

I took out my journal and wrote that I wasn't being dramatic, I only wanted to be alone for a while, and glared at him.

He rolled his eyes at me, huffing.

"You were worried I'm going to get killed by a bunch of farmers, I know. But Meat, there’s no need to worry yourself with such nonsense... I'll be perfectly fine. I'll just get in, make my way into that chicken infested house and force the door. I'll have my lady back in no time and we can all be happy," he said grinning.

"And what exactly will you do with her?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"That is none of your business, you don't even have to be there if you don't want to. Stay here, you don't have to do anything. I won't need the key and if this is about you being jealous of her..."

I threw a pot at him, which he dodged easily. No, it wasn't jealousy, I knew what would happen if he got to her. Looking back, I'm not exactly sure why it bothered me so much, the thought of him stealing and killing her. As he would later point out, I had killed my share of people in cold blood, and yet... It felt like a line I shouldn't cross, it felt like it would destroy all that we had built. Or maybe it would only destroy the safe place that I thought I had made with him. Away from the horror of the woods... What a silly notion...

The Wolf looked at me with surprise and I sighed, knowing it was over. I was out of choices.

Then we both heard a noise from the bedroom, a soft voice I barely recognized. I stood where I was, but the Wolf growled and headed into the room.

I heard the growling stop and after a couple of seconds of silence, I heard him call for me. I felt disconnected from myself but still, I slowly moved to his side fearing what I would find there.

I turned to the bed where he was staring and saw myself, the younger man I used to be, healthy, with even brown hair and clean clothes. It was a strange image, like some sort of mesmerism, but it was definitely me sitting there.

Then the vision talked, in a voice I hadn't heard in months, "I want to go home. We need to get away from here..."

There was so much pain in his voice, so much fear...

"That's you, right?" said the Wolf in a serious tone for once.

I shook my head frantically, no that wasn't me, not anymore, that person was dead! I was not him; I couldn't be.

I covered my ears and closed my eyes, quickly backing away from the room and for the first time in a long time, I felt tears running down my face.

The Wolf stopped me, grabbing both my hands and pulling them down.

"Listen to me!" he said looking down and me with a fierce look on his face. "You're right, that's not you. That man over there? That man was nothing! He was pathetic and weak. You're none of those things, you hear me?"

He was almost yelling at me, but his words... they helped me calm down and I nodded slowly. He gently rubbed his thumbs in circles where he was holding me by the arms

"Back when I first met you, I thought you wouldn't make it a night in here. But look at you now! You still hate this place, but you're not helpless in it. In fact, I'd say you're just as deadly as the rest of them," he said grinning.

He was right. When I first arrived in the forest I felt as if I had died and come back to life almost every day. I nodded again, looking up at him. His eyes smiled and he came closer, leaning down and licking the tears that had fallen down my cheeks. He slowly walked me backward into the bedroom and I was relieved to see the ghost gone.

"I think we should stay home today," he said taking off my hat and coat, throwing them to the ground. He pulled me by the scarf to lay down in bed and I followed, too tired to fight back my need for comfort.

He kept licking my face, laying down on top of me, and doing a low, almost unperceivable growl. He seemed to want to wrap himself around me, to cover me, protect me... Perhaps he sensed my distress even if I couldn't voice it out.

I accepted the tender gesture, burying my face on his fur. I needed him to take my mind away from myself, away from the decisions that I knew were upon me.

I pushed his coat off, itching for his warm skin. He let me. And when everything was off he got his hands under my shirt, softly scratching my back and holding me close. I kissed the top of his head as it laid on my chest.

"You're alive. Who cares if he's dead? You're alive and that's all that matters, Meat," he whispered into my skin.

He was right. I was alive and he was with me, and I wanted to feel everything. Just one last time, I wanted to feel him tear my defenses apart... I wasn't going to get that again, because the old me was right about one thing, we had to leave that place. I could delay it no more.

That morning I let him have me any way he wanted, I urged him to scratch and bite so I could feel him with me even after I was gone. I pulled on his fur and left some marks of my own. He enjoyed it plenty and let out delicious sounds that I tried to record to memory.

It felt like saying goodbye and yet desperately needing to stay closer, needing to bury myself as far as I could in him.

He must have scented my distress but must have assumed it was because of the vision we just saw. He did his best to be equal parts rough and gentle. I think it was then that I allowed myself to feel more than care and affection, it was then that I truly felt I loved him. Even if I wouldn't admit it until I was long gone from there.

He took and I gave until we could move no further and we laid in bed panting and sweating.

He licked me clean and rested by my side. He looked just as he used to be before his itching for the pretty lady returned, when he felt all mine. But I knew better, it wouldn't last.

"Listen, I'm... Urgh... I'm sorry about yesterday. And not that I don't like your rustic dens, but is there any chance you could come back home?" he asked.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Home... it felt like that, yes. What was one more lie considering all I had said in all my life... And yet none had ever felt so dirty and wrong. Still, I nodded.

He grinned and burrowed into the sheets next to me, quickly falling asleep. I stared at him for a long while, trying to memorize everything I could. I traced the patterns of his fur with my fingers. I remembered then how it was the appeal of its softness that got this whole thing started. Regardless of how it was going to end, I couldn't say I retreated it.

I laid a kiss on the short fur on his snout and slowly got up trying not to wake him. I pulled on my clothes and took out my journal to write him a note.

"I won't have you risking your hide to get into the village. I'll go take one last look, see if I can find the key. Meet me in the Silent Forest hideout."

I ripped the page out and placed it in the pillow next to him. I sighed, taking one last look at him, and headed out into the forest.

I ran as fast as I could to the Silent Forest, it wouldn't do if he caught up with me before I got there.

I retrieved the key from the corpse's pocket and headed into the holes on the ground to surface at the village. I, almost on autopilot, walked towards the chicken lady's house. I went around the house, to the window in front of the wrecked truck, and leaned back against the wall.

I could hear her loudly heaving inside... I was not sure why I had felt the need to go there. I wanted to say I was sorry, for I was no doubt sentencing her to death or something even worse; but... I also felt like I hated her. Part of me wishing I could simply open the door and kill her myself. I suppose I could have... but he would have hated me. She would have won anyway.

And wasn't that a horrible thought to have? I was, still am, a horrible person...

She was clearly in pain. Kept alive only for her sister's wishes. Death, let's be honest, was probably a gift for her. To put an end to the hunger. I would later find out the truth anyway, nothing really dies in the woods.

I walked back to the holes in the ground and relished in the dark, wet, smell of dirt. I felt bone tired.

Once I emerged on the other side I saw him waiting for me. He looked all full of pent-up energy, eager to see if I had found his wretched key. I felt it burn a hole in my pocket and pulled it out, showing it to him.

As I produced the key, the Wolf's pupils widened with excitement, his tail moving wild behind him. He rushed to my side and wrapped me in his arms spinning us around in a couple of circles.

"I knew you could do it, Meat! I knew it!" he burst out in laughter, grabbing my arms and squeezing me tight. I tried to give him a shaky smile.

"You should be proud of yourself, Meaty. Those nasty villagers tried to outsmart us, but they were no match for us. Now, all that's left is making my way over there and releasing her from that torment. Met us at home, dear. It will be a joyous occasion," he said grinning.

I shook my head and pulled out my journal.

"It's too late. I'll spend the night here and go there tomorrow," I wrote trying to look like I wasn't feeling like throwing up.

He looked saddened for a moment, but the thrill of finally getting to her was too much for him to fight back and he nodded, bending down to kiss me.

"We'll be there then, don't take too long, and don't get killed without me," he said running off into the woods in the direction of the village.

I stood there, looking at the forest for a while. The darkness growing around me. It was done.

I didn't sleep that night. Mad men came to the hideout and I quickly dispatched them, it was a welcomed feeling, to smash their heads with a shovel. I was angry at myself. Angry for having let myself feel for such a creature, for having almost been happy in that place. Stupid in a way I never was before.

Back home I pretended. My superiors liked it when their operatives were married or had a stable partner. It gave us the illusion of being dependable and trustworthy. I played the game, living with her, caring for her... But I never let myself believe it was true. Not like with him... in that house, in that bed...

By the time the sun came up, I had packed all of the things I could carry with me and headed out to the Old Woods.

From the moment I walked into his home, I could tell something was different. Something awful happened in that place.

I looked for the Wolf and saw him come out of the small room and close the door behind him, but the smell of fresh blood still hit me.

"Meat!" he exclaimed, his greeting sounding like an angry growl.

The Wolf made a quick leap and bounced against me with his swollen belly. He placed his paws on my shoulders as he ostentatiously licked his snout.

"What a gift you have given me!" he said with glee, and I noticed fresh blood stains on his fur and felt streaks of his saliva dripping onto my coat, something I knew happened only after he ate.

He leaned towards me as if he wanted to say something to my ear, I kept still.

The Wolf squeezed my arms and started licking my face. Once from the left side, once from the right side.

"Dear Meat..." he said with an affectionate tone, his breath stinking of blood. "What would I ever do without you? You make such a wonderful partner. Thanks to you I feel fulfilled!"

Suddenly the Wolf sent me back with a powerful push and reached into his coat. A big object landed on the floor and I looked down to see a hunting rifle.

"Here! Only the best for you," he exclaimed with a burst of joyous laughter.

I picked it up, feeling slightly nauseous.

The Wolf didn't say anything as I walked towards the closed room and hesitated only a second before opening the door.

I knew what was on the other side, but I still needed to see it. I needed to see what I had done.

The sight was gruesome, not only because of the way the Wolf tore into her, ripping her apart, but also because I finally got to see the disfigured shape of the poor woman.

My eyes wandered around the small room, picking up one disturbing detail after another. I bent down to pick up a bloodied shawl. My whole body wanted to look away, but I forced myself to face it, the bloody sheets, the wrinkled flaccid skin, her tied up arms, her terrified expression...

Suddenly I felt the Wolf behind me, resting his snout on my right shoulder, wrapping his arms around me. What was once a tender gesture felt now like an invasive threat.

"Are you feeling jealous, my dearest Meat?" he teased. "That I had fun without you?"

I jumped out of his embrace, horrified. My expression must have said it all because he immediately frowned, flattening his ears and bristling.

"What? You're gonna act surprised now? You knew what would happen and you gave me the key anyway!"

I backed away, franticly shaking my head.

"Well look at this, ladies and gentlemen!" he exclaimed, apparently addressing the stuffed human corpses sitting by the walls. "This carcass thinks he's better than you! This rotten pile of meat must be delusional."

He was clearly angry now, he turned towards me, adjusting his coat, "Are you pretending to be human, or are you just cracking jokes? Do you think I don't know what you've done all this time? You have blood on your hands just as I do. If you think you have more humanity left than the rest of us, you better think again dear."

He was right, I killed her, the same as he did. But I couldn't bear to look at him, fat on her flesh and covered in her blood. He growled, baring his rows of stained teeth.

"Fine! I don't need you! I've got my girl, my sweet little lady back. And you get what you always wanted," he said with disgust. "I will help you recover your stupid key. I will take you back to the doctor's house. I'm sure you will find some clues on how to reach his current hideout while there. You two will have a little chat, you will get back what you've lost and then nothing will keep you from getting the fuck out of my part of the woods! Do you get me, Meat? You will pack your bags, dive into that stinking hole of yours and dissa-fucking-pear!"

He was snarling and growling through the whole thing, shaking in anger. I was truly afraid he would simply pounce on me at any moment. I sidestepped him and ran away. I heard his jaws snapping close behind me.

All the dogs in the complex were barking in alarm, as if they knew of their master's anger, their sound echoed through the forest as I ran. One, above them all, sounded like a chilling, anguished howl.

* * *

My feet made their own way to the entrance of the village. I pushed my hand into my pocket and pulled out the bloody shawl.

I walked to the Chicken Lady's house, not sure what I wanted to do, maybe just to end whatever I had started, or to ask for some sort of atonement? I don't think so, but maybe.

Once I stepped inside I heard her talking, sounding frantic.

"Oh Lordy, what curse has fallen upon us! Sweet Mother, what devilry! One day Janek goes missing, the next me sister disappears! Oh Lordy, Lordy!" she said over and over.

I stepped up to her and she hurried towards me, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me, "Mister, have mercy upon me and find her! Mother Mary, I don't know what I'm gonna do without her, all by myself..."

I should probably have felt guiltier than I did, but she sounded as if she was only worried about being alone... Not really about her sister. And I had seen the body, her bounded corpse, I knew it wasn't the Wolf who did it.

I took out the shawl and showed it to her, she got even more frantic and crossed herself three times.

"My sister’s! Where did ya find it? It's all that godless quack's fault! The devil brought him! All he did was prescribe this and that, scribble this no-good drivel! To hell with them papers!" she said throwing a dirty, crumpled piece of paper at me.

I bent down and picked it, opening it up to reveal what looked like the Doctor's Instructions for the Pretty Lady, containing some pretty questionable treatment methods. But more importantly, it revealed the location of the Road to the Doctor's House.

I felt like screaming... In all of that time, the knowledge had been right there, in that chicken infested house. I ran out of there, hurrying to the Old Woods, hoping I wouldn’t see the Wolf. I walked by the edge of the forest hoping to see the road but it was really difficult. Finally, I arrived at the place, finding the road hidden by some branches clearly placed there on purpose. I would have found the place long ago if it had been uncovered. Later I would find out it was done not by the doctor but by the Wolf, in an attempt to keep me in the forest a while longer. I didn't blame him, I too wanted to stay for a bit longer after all...

I walked the small road until I found a ruined little house. The atmosphere around the place felt eerie and sad. I could hear a sound, like the wind blowing, roaring actually. I kept going until I saw the hole in the ground, a giant ravine covered with tree-roots.

I stood in that plank of wood in that lone hut, staring down at the abyss underneath. Roots and roots, like an endless sea of wood, turning and twisting like waves. It was so clearly alive and thriving, grasping at all it could reach and trapping it within itself. It was horrible and magnificent... And a part of me felt the inexplicable urge to lean towards and let go. The sound of the wind singing like a voice calling me home.

I forcibly pulled myself back and ran further into the woods. The next building was just as torn down, there was a bear trap right in the opening between the barricades in front of the entrance. I carefully disarmed it and made my way inside, gun at the ready. It was some sort of health facility, several beds were laying around and a smell of infected, dry blood. I heard a noise and noticed the man there, trembling and mumbling. He looked to be undergoing some sort of mutation like the corpses turning into Red Chompers. When he noticed me, he began begging to be put out of his misery, I gladly obliged.

There were other bodies on the beds, all in different stages of sickness and mutation. The doctor clearly experimented on them, hopefully trying to find a cure, but it seemed almost like torture. There was something wrong about it, something unnatural that I couldn't put my finger on back then.

I kept going until I reached the last building, the doctor's house. I felt the sinking feeling that I'd been there before, felt like I needed to run away... But I forced myself to keep going, there was nothing for me to go back to.

I spotted a crate on the left side of the house; I wish I hadn't opened it. I made my way into the house through an opened window.

There was a corpse there... I remember hitting him, hard until I heard bone break. Janek, was his name. I didn't feel remorse, I had to defend myself back then but I did feel everything that happened was the doctor's fault.

I turned the place upside down looking for any clue of the doctor's whereabouts. I found a notebook page showing the code to a train cart door. I knew where the train wreck was, I took everything I could and rushed there.

I made my way through the forest as fast as I could. I was planning to get out before sundown. I did my best to go unnoticed by all creatures, but I can't deny part of me was hoping I would see him.

Once there I found the locked train cart, I readied my gun and barged inside. I got an immense sense of satisfaction at the surprised panic in the doctor's face. I hated him, I really did. And I had gone there with all the intentions of killing him, but once I saw him dropping his fate at my mercy, I noticed the signs of infection. He was beginning to mutate, the very thing he studied in others was now happening to him. And I smiled a wicked smile at the sense of irony. No, I didn't kill the doctor. That would have been the easier way to go. I let him live so he could experience in the flesh what he forced on others, so he would slowly lose himself to madness.

I ripped the key off his hands and pulled out my map, showing him the underground entrance, he was thrilled and said he would be there waiting next to the armored door. He rushed out of the cart, running. I stayed, calming my breathing and staring at the big, rusty key, thinking of everything that I had done to find it.

It was pretty late by the time I ran to the bunker passage, but I was still determined to get there before sundown. I wasn't going to spend another night at that place and risk being stopped now that I had my way home.

I got there and found the doctor waiting for me with a small backpack. He was fidgety and anxious, urging me to get going. I opened the door and he rushed through it. I looked back at the forest... I think part of me was secretly hoping the Wolf would have tried to stop me. That he would have rushed to catch up with me and begged me to stay, he knew where this place was after all. But he wouldn't, it wasn't like him. Still...I felt undeniable sorrow at leaving the place, and then I felt angry at myself for thinking that way and walked through the door, slamming it closed behind me.

Underneath the ground, going through the bunker passage, it's all a blur. Darkness closed itself around us. I saw the remnants of those men, saw what they had become. The sound of that soldier's skull cracking open still echoes in my mind. They just wanted to go home, like me... I wondered if that was the fate that awaited me if I continued to struggle against the forest.

The doctor got ahead of me in the tunnel, I tried to catch up but he was gone by the time I emerged from the ground.

I felt a wave of panic when the door shut down after I climbed out. I gripped the handle and pulled with all my strength, but it wouldn't budge. That was it, I was cut off from the forest for good, cut off from him...

I felt like screaming and got up, determined to stop feeling sorry for myself, and took a look at my surroundings. Having been worried about the little sunlight left in the day, I was relieved to see the exit left me right at the gate of the hideout.

The place was in shambles. Everything was broken up, I immediately went through all the rooms, gathering what I could find and trying to determine the easier one to defend. In the end, I settled in a small room next to a creepy radio and oven room.

Suffice to say I didn't survive that night. In fact, I think I must have died and come back to life for three nights straight before I got the hang of the creatures and other horrors the swamp had to offer. After that, I managed just fine. I killed everything that got even close to me.

In that time, I fixed the hideout as much as I could, luckily there was sufficient stuff laying around to help my cause. In the second morning though, I made a grim discovery. I found the decapitated body of the Trader by the hideout's gate. I wish I could say I felt sadness, that I had some small moment of grief, but I didn't. I checked his body and found a key, identical to the one I struggled so much to find. In his helmet was written the word "liar", I couldn't help but agree. Still, I knew the woods made mad men of us all, it just got to him differently... He wished to stay and wanted me to feel the same way, we were the only ones left after all. I surprised myself, hating him so little after all that I went through, I even grabbed my shovel and made him a proper grave. He was a soldier, we all should have had better deaths, but I did what I could.

I highly suspected the Three to have done it, I know it now to be true, but I needed supplies then so I had to work with them.

I won't go into details about my time in the swamp, the place was more dangerous than anything I ever faced before and I spent a good few days figuring out how to face every new threat. The creatures there were different, made by whatever had infected the woods. They looked partly human, like pieces of animals and people combined in a gruesome, deadly mess.

I found an abandoned village behind the hideout; something drew me to the place. I had to take out a couple of creatures before deeming it safe to explore, further inside I found an old man, clearly infected, sick of body and mind. He wanted me to burn the tree, he said it with viciousness, as if it were the source of all his problems.

I walked up to it, that huge tree that reached high into the murky sky. The sound was almost unbearable, a murmur first and a roar up close. I could only decipher bits and pieces of their speech. Body after body, being consumed by the bark, I had avoided such fate, it should have terrified me to look into their beady, dark eyes. But it didn't... they seemed almost at peace.

I remembered the man at the doctor's house, the pain, the need, the hunger... Somehow that felt so much more unnatural. Those people were one with the forest, one with the being, and had embraced what they would become. To delay it, to try to fight against it... it seemed almost unnatural.

I did my best to try to stay out of that village. I knew it was my best bet for a way out, but I couldn't do anything without an oxygen tank, so I decided to explore other areas instead.

My walking eventually led me into a darkened forest area, polluted by a dark mist that made me want to throw up. Inside I faced many chompers before I found the house with the "elephants", a crazy woman who might help me but only if I helped her first in finding her missing son. I held little hope but made a mental note of it.

I... I was lonely then... I did my best to explore, to keep busy, I worked on fixing the hideout, making it real hard for creatures to get close to me. Anything that would keep my mind busy. But still... I couldn't help but miss him.

I found plenty of infected dogs in the swamp, at first they avoided me, I still smelled like him, like I belonged to someone else. But then, after a few days, one of them took a sniff of me and decided to attack. I beat it with my shovel, nursing a bite on my leg. I hit its dead body over and over again, wanting to scream my lungs out. I hated it for making me see that I no longer had his scent with me, that it was all done and I was truly alone. I went home and crawled inside of a dresser. I closed my eyes and slept for the first time there.

When I woke up I found strange markings on the ground outside. As if someone or something had crawled inside. I followed the trail to the door of a small room I couldn't open before. There, whimpering and sobbing, was the little musician, only he wasn't so little anymore. The disease had mutated him drastically, making it harder for him to move. His body had grown into a bulbous mass and his skin was saggy, his legs couldn't carry him anymore.

"V... very sorry! I... I didn't know you were l-living here," he said rubbing his hands together in a nervous way.

He tried to turn his head, but his enormous neck made it impossible. I would have gone inside the room, but a toxic miasma seemed to surround him.

"I didn't want to d-disturb you, mister. I just wanted to h-hide. I don't know this p-part of the woods. Everything here is different, and this wee h-hut here seemed so... c-cozy and s-safe," he cried out. "P-please let me stay. P-please, don't chase me off. I've got nowhere to... go. The villagers don't a-a-allow me to live in the camp. I p-p-promise I won't p-play anymore! I'll be quiet. You can c-cover me with something if you don't w-want to look at m-me... Please... Just let me s-stay."

I pride myself on keeping a cold head most of the time, a requisite of the job, but back then I admit I felt my heart squeeze for him. I reached out, patting his shoulder, and nodded.

"Tha-thank you!!!! Oh! Thank you so so much! You're so ki-kind!" he exclaimed sobbing.

I truly wanted to tell him I wasn't, but I simply stood up and prepared myself for another day. In truth, it was nice to have another person in there with me. He caught rats and gave them to me, I checked on him before heading out every morning and closed his door at night.

But one thing he said was bugging me, he mentioned the villagers were there, probably crawled their way through the tree line. And if they managed, an irrational part of me hoped maybe the Wolf had crossed over as well...

It took me a while to find them, hidden in the quarry, I didn't go near instead, I watched them from afar, trying to scramble for something to eat. There was no sign of the Wolf. I hoped they wouldn't find my hideout.

In the following days, I found several new locations, some familiar, some new. I discovered Piotrek's rocket in the junkyard, it was sad to see where it ended, but at least he felt as if he was truly flying, even if it was only for a little bit.

I also bumped into the Doctor on several occasions, each time he looked worse, terribly infected, and going mad. I felt immense satisfaction in seeing him crawl through mud. Good riddance.

A week or so later I found the mushroom-filled area... I recognized it from the drawing the Trader made. It was hard to travel through it, filled with mist but eerily beautiful in a way. I was trying to find my way around it when I saw him, far away, walking slowly, I was sure I saw the Wolf, my wolf.

I cursed my inability to call for him, I opened my mouth but no sound came out. I ran in his direction as far as I could, but the shape disappeared into the mist. I frantically searched everywhere, I think I cried, I felt like crying...

I had done my very best to put him out of my mind, but at that moment I felt more alone and hopeless than ever before. I missed him dearly, I loved him, in my own messed up way. Perhaps it was crazy, perhaps it was a consequence of the disease and the madness beginning to crawl up my brain, but I loved him. And he was gone...

The forest had swallowed him up and I had decided not to follow. I felt like a fool, what life was there for me out there? What future could I hope for? Oh, perhaps it was too late for me, but I felt more decided than ever that I was not going to die in that place. I was going to survive, to find out what truly caused this, I had nothing left to lose.

Trampling through the mushroom glades I found a house, with smoke coming out of the chimney. I made my way inside and was surprised to find an old lady, sitting on a rocking chair. She was visibly infected, with sprouting mushrooms all over her head, but she looked to be in peace with it, not bothered at all. It seemed fitting for an old, no-nonsense lady like her. I liked her, so even though I was tempted by the sweet smell of the mushrooms growing in her head, I listened to her request.

She asked that I dealt with some raiders that had been causing her trouble. Apparently, these people had visited her house in their feverish craving for mushrooms and disturbed her. She said they were at the quarry, those damn villagers...

I promised to deal with them and she was thrilled. I went home, planning on fixing the matter the day after.

I was still feeling raw but having something else to focus on was a nice distraction.

I headed there the next day, I suppose I must have felt like a plague to those people, but it didn't matter. I killed some and managed to trap the remaining ones inside the quarry. I mistakenly thought that would be enough...

I headed back to the mushroom granny and nodded that the job was done.

The old lady smiled, revealing her white, toothless gums.

She leaned in her armchair and grabbed me by my hand, heartily. I felt a white goo seeping from her hand, smelling of mushrooms.

"You're a good man, sonny," she said.

I wasn't, I never was... Never will be. I've made my peace with it. Good men wouldn't have survived the forest. I did.

The old granny offered me a gift, if I returned the next day, I nodded and headed back home, making use of the holes connecting a nearby abandoned hut to my hideout.

I came back the next day, only to find her dead... It turns out that rock blocking the quarry hadn't been enough to hold the hungry villagers back. They had broken into her home and ate her up, like the monsters they were...

I felt a rage like I never felt before raise within me. I was done with everything, with the forest, the villagers, the monsters, I would burn them all down.

I have little memory of what happened afterward. I know I hunted every one of the remaining villagers down, giving them as painful deaths as possible. By the end I was drenched in blood, exhausted and feeling drunk in the thrill of the hunt. I welcomed it, lifting my head to the red sky. I knew I was beyond salvation. Then I saw something in the distance, the radio tower...

I hadn't visited it, even though I knew it was there, it felt like a lost cause, there would be no signal powerful enough to breach the forest. But perhaps there would be something worth finding. I made my way back to the hideout, thinking I’d go there tomorrow.

The next day I used the hole system to reach there faster, but I was sidetracked when I went past the mushroom granny's house and heard some noises. It turned out the elephant's kid was living there with her, his grandma, and even though he tried to run at first I managed to catch him and drag him back to his home.

The little side mission helped get me access to the gas canisters, one step closer to escaping, but I still made my way to the radio tower.

The place had a deadly atmosphere around it. It showed clear signs of a fight of some sort. I found the fallen tower and not too far away there laid the breakage of an army helicopter.

Evidently, any escape plans went sour for everyone there. I wondered how many of my men, if any, were left alive.

I went inside, gun ready for anything. It was hard to see from the darkness but right away I noticed the great number of crows sitting above me in the debris left by the fallen tower. It gave me a pretty good idea of what I would be facing inside. I often wondered where the banshees were while not tormenting my nights. I had found their nesting ground.

The smell of death meat and bird shit was almost unbearable but I powered through. I feel sorry for what I did then... Technically I could have quietly made my way through their nests and left the baby birds unharmed, but I knew they would grow and attack me, and I was so angry at everything, at everyone... So, I grabbed my pitchfork and began killing them, I wrecked every nest before they even woke up. I also got their mothers with fiery Molotov cocktails. In the end, I was tired, bloody, and breathing hard.

I suppose it says something about me that I felt worst doing that than hunting down the villagers before...

After fighting a madman, I made my way into a room in the back. There, under roots of and dirt laid the entrance to the underground tunnels, tunnels I knew connected all the hideouts and could perhaps still offer me a way out.

It was late, I was tired, but the chance to escape that place was too high to pass. So, I headed down, into the darkness.

The tunnels were collapsed, covered in roots and rubble. I quickly realized this was a one-way trip, somehow I remembered that the security measures of the tunnels made it so once I went through the road behind me would be closed off. If I failed, I would be trapped there forever. Still, I kept going.

I found a lever covered in moss and fungi. I tried to rip it apart only for it to dose me with spores. Everything went dark and I fell unconscious. I woke up in the forest, no memory of how I got there, my things were gone and I only had a flashlight.

The forest looked familiar, but something in the air was different, I felt watched and stocked by something. I made my way through the trees, bumping against them in the dark. I heard mumbling, a soft voice calling to me. I followed it until I found a clearing where the words “Come to me” had been scratched on the ground. I followed a path of shiny stones, barely seeing anything in the dark. I found fragments of bloody clothes on the way, making me feel even wearier. The ground was covered in markings and roots.

After a while of waking my feet suddenly dipped in water, I felt a chill and ran straight into a door. I opened it and walked into a barely lit wrecked building. I finally found a crate and managed to open it to get a shovel that I used to open a door.

Inside I found a radio, partially covered in blood, not one of ours. A generator was running in the next room, next to a table with leather belts strapped on it. Nothing good had happened in that room. I was searching through a crate in the corner when I heard it. A chomper… I backed away from the door, it tried to get in but couldn’t. I ran away but it blocked my exit from the other door. It was a black chomper, covered in that strange miasma that protected them. I kept it close to the light, hoping it would weaken it. I hit it with a piece of wood, it bit me but I managed to beat it. I ran out the window, I heard more of them chasing me but I ran as far as I could. My lungs felt on fire as I ran through the abandoned shack, the door was stuck and I barely managed to force it open. I ran into the darkness of the forest. The path was narrow, the tall trees covering almost every inch. I walked barely seeing anything ahead. There was water on the ground, red like blood. I heard noises all around me, chasing me, hunting like desperate animals.

I found a path of shiny stones again and hoped it would lead me away from there. The ground felt alive under me, beating like a heart, its roots like veins. I finally came into a clearing where a woman was kneeling in front of a wall of roots. Only, it wasn’t just a wall. It had a face… It was a huge face made of meat and wood, gruesome and disfigured. It opened its jaws and said, “Come to me”.

I knew what I had to do I had to go inside its mouth, deeper into the forest. I held my breath and ran into the narrow path, opened a door inside, and found myself into a long tunnel. I ran into it, shoveling my way through. I must have passed out because the next thing I knew I woke up there, only it felt different. The air was different and my stuff was back.

I couldn’t stay there though, I had to keep running, so I secured my backpack and kept going. Finally, the tunnel came to an end and I came out a narrow set of stairs, into a clearing in the forest. The remains of an old hideout. The one near the road…

I couldn’t believe it. I was there, so close… I ran through an old cornfield; I had my eyes fixed on the way home but was sidetracked when I saw a scarecrow. It had a familiar face….

Someone had grabbed the helmet off the remains of the Trader and placed them up there. I felt sick to myself… Was it fair that I had made it and he didn’t? He wanted to stay; he couldn’t leave.

I shook my head, running away from the gruesome sight. Farther up the road I saw trees with bodies attached to them like I would have ended back when I was first caught. I kept running, finding equipment laying around on the dry soil, remnants of my old unit, and the experiments we did there. Not too far away I found an old camp, one of my agents was there, dead. He held a glass jar with a marked sample of the fungus that covered the forest. I threw it away, as far as I could.

I kept running, seeing holes where they had excavated into the ground only to find that stream of roots, that seemed to have infected the whole forest from below. 

Near there I found a door, pushed it open, and stumbled upon the road home. I recognized the concrete road, even if that colorless goo was sipping from the cracks on the asphalt. I found the road sign on the ground. I couldn’t believe it...

There were bodies everywhere, likely people trying to leave the forest. Most looked dirty and petrified, carrying what belongings they could.

I walked faster, more and more bodies blocked my path but I just kept going. Up until I reached a blockade and saw the forest path. Then I ran. I ran as fast as I could, bumping into all the trees, tripping over myself in joy. I felt like my lungs were going to explode but I just kept running. By the time I breached the edge of the forest, I was weeping, I couldn’t believe my eyes. My city was right there, my building, my neighborhood...

I kept running until I saw another person, a man sitting on a bench, feeding the birds. I braced myself for his reaction upon seeing me, but he didn’t say anything... Only chastised me for scaring the birds off. I kept going, something was urging me to go home.

I found my building and entered, but something was not right... I opened my mailbox, found a postcard from my parents. As I watched the festive picture, something drew my eye to the basement stairs behind me. I wasn’t sure why, but every bone in my body was telling me to leave it alone, to go upstairs... Which is why I didn’t.

I had been through enough to know something wasn’t right…

The dark basement with the creepy but familiar radio was not the only thing out of the ordinary. There was also the strange homeless man by the hallway, his appearance reminded me of the sick villagers. And when the woman opened the door to her apartment I saw her baby, a fetus twisting on the floor. And I knew for sure that nothing there was real.

I went upstairs and was met with an endless corridor, filled with roots and branches and the dreadful sight of chompers behind the cracks on the wall.

I entered my flat, the familiar scent of home almost made me sob. It was so real... so tempting to believe I was really home. I wanted to believe, with all my might. It was cruel…

I hung my coat in the closet, going through the motions. I walked into the living room and was immediately greeted by my dog. I kneeled down sobbing, I hugged him, petting his soft fur. So much like his...

The wrongness of the room was evident once I started moving things around. I took a screwdriver and broke the floorboards in desperation. The struggle I endured resisting the pull of going to bed was one of the hardest things I had ever done. But I did it, I moved the bed and jumped right into the dark hole.

I woke up in hell. I remembered seeing a photo of a painting of the purgatory in a book once... I was standing there then…

My clothes were in tethers, I walked naked through the branches, making my way towards the light. I knew I was in the center of it all, where it all started. There were bodies everywhere, some alive some dead. I saw their faces, their happiness...

I knew they were living a fantasy just as I was a minute before, they would live a dream up until their bodies gave up and they died with a smile on their faces. It wasn’t cruel, I thought, but it was also just a lie. A cruel joke.

I wasn’t going to die in that place, I wasn’t going peacefully into the dark. If it wished to kill me it would have to do it by force.

I followed the sea of roots, looking at the bodies, envying their blessed ignorance. Among all the faces, I saw something catch the light, one emaciated Sleeper was holding something, when I tried to take it from him I recognized him. Maciek. That son of a bitch... Not only was he still alive, well arguably, but he was holding onto his dear flamethrower.

Taking it off from him was a nasty job, I didn't feel bad about it, in fact, I more than enjoyed it, since it was his desertion that got my evac delayed... He desperately tried to take the weapon from me, but I knocked him out with the blunt end of it.

I walked up to the bright light. Several people were surrounding it, seemingly worshipping it, mumbling prayers in their sleep. I looked down into the giant canyon where the overgrown tree-roots came from, it was pulsing with energy, just like the one near the doctor's house.

As I walked closer I heard the thundering sound of a heartbeat... This was the entity, the one we were sent to investigate, the source of the energy we hoped to harness. It was hard, looking at it, but in the final hour, there was nothing that would have stopped me. I reached for it, laying my hand on the thick branches, and was immediately filled with a feeling of warmth and happiness. I knew if I wanted, I could slip into that blissful dream again. I heard that single, silent murmur that called everyone in the forest to its deadly embrace.

In the depth of the pulsating space surrounding me, I could see vague shapes. Their outline blurred and faded away every time I tried to focus on them. Suddenly the sound enveloped me, only to instantly disappear a moment later. I could feel someone's presence far above me, looking down with something like curiosity.

Somehow I knew it could hear me, my voice might have been shattered but I thought the question clear enough, "Who are you?"

Just like that, I was drowning in an illuminating, pulsating whiteness. I squeezed my eyes shut, but the bright vastness continued to blind me. The silent grunt grew stronger with every moment. It stratified into an unlimited number of abstract, incomprehensible sounds, only to combine into a distant, wailing voice. Like hundreds of voices trying to join in one. My eyes filled up with tears, my hands were trembling.

"What do you want?!" I all but screamed at it.

The ever-present whiteness blinded me. It exploded with brightness once more and then started vibrating. Suddenly I realized that the pleasant feeling of warmth had been replaced by coldness. The coldness of the void that surrounded me.

I didn't understand it. I felt torn, like a child being denied the love of a parent. The Being made one last try at pulling me into its warmth and with a strength I didn't even know I had, I pushed it away. The warmth that was emanating from it disappeared, replaced by piercing coldness.

I shook myself awake, pulling the flamethrower close to my chest. Tears were running down my face. I was going to do it. I would end it all right there. But not like that, not without answers. Was it all even worth it? What did it mean? All that I lost... back home and even in that godforsaken forest... Why?

I pushed forward, pointing the weapon at the pulsing light. "What do you want? I'll burn us down you hear me?!!! What the fuck do you want??!!!"

There was silence all at once, and for a few agonizing seconds, I waited for an answer. Then the wailing voice began a new, but slowly simmered, until it was just one voice, a sleeper 7 feet away from me began, " _We... we want..._ "

Then another farther away, _"... together... Be one... together. Not alone. Happy._ "

I shook my head, clutching the flamethrower. "You're killing these people! You create this happy lie for them while you're slowly killing them. You're killing everyone in the forest," I thought.

" _Not dead_ ," another Sleeper said. " _They're alive. We're all alive. Let me show you..._ "

A thin branch lifted itself from the ground, pulsing with energy, covered in a white substance. It looked like a hand, reaching for me. I didn’t trust it, but I had nothing left to lose, so I grabbed it.

Instantly my body fell limp and I collapsed into a soft, warm, pulsating earth, to the familiar experience of a vision.

I found myself in a dark cave. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I began walking, tumbling through the rough terrain. I heard constant drops of water dripping on the rocks. Even if I couldn't see much, I felt the energy all around me.

Suddenly I saw light. It was dim at first but as I kept walking it grew brighter and brighter, emitting a low hum.

When I finally reached it, I found a creature that I couldn’t describe... It was humanoid, but it was also mushy, like fungi. I couldn’t make sense of it, no matter how hard I tried. But one thing was clear as day, it was a child.

" _I came to in the deeps of the earth_..." a loud voice said in my mind. _"Nothing but darkness and cold. I didn't understand it at first, I laid there for months... I cried but no one came. I was lonely and scared..._ "

I could feel their emotions as if they were my own, as it related to me its story. I’d always been a loner, but I’d never felt loneliness like that... Deep in that cave, life was born that shouldn't have. Grown from the very entrails of the Earth. A defense mechanism, perhaps? It was a mystery, not even the creature itself seemed to know the answer to.

" _Eventually I became hungry, so I melded with the ground below me, searching for something, anything... I reached higher and higher. First I found minerals, then small insects. They were interesting and from consuming them I learned from the world above. I stretched as far as I could to reach you. I was enthralled with so much life above me. The light hurt at first, so I hid in the shadows. I mimicked the plants, “fake trees” you outsiders call them._

_Through them I watched the villagers, going about their lives. There were families, and they seemed so happy together. Children with their parents..._

_But then I started noticing other things, humans filled with anger and hate. Those who lost someone and drowned themselves in grief. I wanted to help them. But I didn't know how._

_Then one day, a man died in the forest. He stepped into a trap and bled to death, no one heard him call for help, only me. I reached for him, breaking his body into its smallest pieces as I'd done with so many of the forest's animals. Learning the way they lived and how their bodies worked. But men were different... When I fed on him I absorbed not only his body but his mind. Humans have such complicated minds... Emotions bound into their very cells. And just like that, he was alive again within me. I was no longer alone and I could take the man's sorrows away. I looked for what made him the happiest and I made a dream just for him, made of his memories and desires._

_I wanted to give that to the rest of them. Within me, there is no pain, no suffering, only bliss. I imitated the plants and fungi to reach you better, sending you a message, instructions to reach me. You later thought it as disease, madness... I was only trying to bring you all together. I tried other methods... I used your electric signals in the radio tower._

_But my efforts did not go unnoticed. As I tapped into more of the forest's ecosystem, turning all living creatures into a part of me, the energy running through my nervous system drew your attention to me. I felt your greed and curiosity the moment you set foot on my soil._

_You did everything you could to reach me. Taking samples and digging tunnels... You even built hideouts to spy on the villagers. I fortified my surroundings, using the bark of a great tree to protect me. I tolerated you at first, but then you took some of the villagers away, you isolated them from the world, treating them like a sickness, an experiment._

_So, I had to stop you. I closed off the Darkwoods, divided it into cells so I could separate you. You had soldiers who burned out segments of my forest and forcibly relocated people, pulling them away from my call. But some still listened and offered their bodies to help me, savages you call them. They found your hiding spots and tunnels, they destroyed your machines and cut your supplies. I used what I learned from creature's bodies to make new beings that would hunt you down and eliminate the threat. They're my children, the crow woman, the Spiders, even the Wolf you hold so dear. I made them. With parts of others brought life to the world. Every time you killed one of them I ached. I wept for the children you murdered in the radio tower..._

_But I don't blame you, you're only trying to survive. It's the most basic of all instincts. But you're something different... I tried before to make you one of us, the ones with antlers ambushed you as you tried to escape and tied you up to one of my trees. Its sap began pouring into you, changing you. But you wouldn't let go... You were already so stubborn and set on getting back home, that not even I could persuade you. There was a small fire and you managed to escape with another you called Trader._ "

I remembered it all then, the pain, the fear, the cold... Being sure that I was going to die, only to escape at the last moment. Running naked through the forest, my head and skin burning from the Being's attempt to change me. Finding the Scarecrow and taking its clothes. Being chased by a hound and getting wounded, only to be rescued by the already mad doctor...

"You tried to kill me..." I thought.

" _I was only trying to survive. To defend my family. You were the disease in the vast organism of the forest. I know what your plans for me were... I saw it in your minds. Your greed for money and energy... Things you don't even need to be happy."_

"What the fuck do you know about happiness? Would these people be happy if they woke up and knew the truth?"

" _What is the truth? What your body can experience or what your mind can feel? Once their bodies fail, they'll be one with us all. They are happy. Each and every one of them chose to heed the Call. They came to me. Like you did. I showed you their memories. I offered you the path._ "

"What do you mean they chose...?" I asked.

" _I told you. We are alive, they're alive within me. I allowed the ones already here to reach their loved ones, to call them to us. I used the spores in the trees and mycelia to send their message. It was in the food they ate and the air they breathed, but I never infected them. I only offered them the choice," I remembered the people at the Silent Forest village saying something about seeing their old relatives in the forest and dreams. "You took them too, having been changed yourself, you could consume the fungi, you could see their memories in your mind, live them as if you were there. And yet you still came to me. You wanted to go home, but even that wasn't good enough anymore. Tell me Outsider, what do you know about happiness? What does happiness mean to you now, after having survived all that...?_ "

"I... I don't... I don't know anymore. I don't want to die here."

" _You won't. I have a proposition for you... You survived against all odds. Your body proved resistant beyond expectations, taking what little exposure you had to me and mutating it into something new, something beneficial to your survival. Every time you died you regenerated from another bit of you. Over and over again you persevered and adapted... I want that. I need that, if I am to protect the ones within me. Help me protect the Darkwoods and I'll give you anything you wish for. Anything within my reach._ "

"Help you...? How? Doing what?" I asked.

" _They'll come. You know they will. Your comrades, the Outsiders. It's unavoidable. But with your help, your knowledge we can push them back. We can expand our reach. We can make the world whole._ "

It sounded like madness; I took a step back but I felt the branch clutching my wrist, tightening.

_"You still don't believe me. Let me show you."_

And just like that, the Being opened the gates to itself. And all the thoughts and joy of the hundreds of people that had died in the forest flooded my mind. It was warmth and sunshine. Like a loving mother's embrace. I was surrounded by all who had died and could see their connection to the ones still living. One of those branches reached out to a very familiar signature. One lonely mutt, scavenging in the Old Woods. I tried to reach for him, I couldn’t, but I saw him stop and listen. Ears perked up and alert. It made me smile. I wondered if he still hated me.

" _He doesn't. He just hates that you left. Left him... I didn't expect my own children to make connections with your kind, but you're special, aren't you?"_ the voice said again, pulling me back and closing the gate. The branch let go of my wrist and I was back naked on the underground cave, still clutching the flamethrower. Tears were running down my face. I instantly missed its warmth. I firmly believed that if all humanity could feel that, there would be no one who would turn it down. And that was exactly what it wanted.

I thought about the outside world, about all of its problems and trivialities. Of all the poverty, death, and corporate greed that I knew firsthand. Of the damage humans were causing to the planet. The bombs... If I could stop it all, without really killing anyone... Wouldn't that be better? Wouldn't that be the saner choice?

"How would I help you?" I finally thought.

" _Let me in. Let me be one with you. Not like the dreamers but taking a part of me inside of you. Be my agent on the ground above. Protect my creatures and plan our expansion. Be my soldier instead of theirs_ ," another Sleeper said near me.

"That's all?" I thought with sarcasm. It was practically planning worldwide domination.

" _You'll have access to my abilities, and the accumulated knowledge of all of the beings in my reach. You'll never be alone again._ "

I sighed, looking up at the intertwined branches that made up the chamber. Was that happiness to me? Not being lonely? I wasn’t alone in the forest. I had warm fur and biting quips to keep me company.

" _You could have that back too,_ " it said knowingly.

"Could... would I be back as I was? Healthy, I mean. Human..."

" _You won't be as you were... You'll be something new, holding part of me in you. But you'll be better, stronger and healthier, yes. My essence won't hinder you in any way, and my children will obey you as they do me. Do we have a deal, Outsider?"_ it said extending longer branches towards me like eager arms but keeping its respectful distance. It was my choice, burn the forest and all within it, or help the Darkwoods thrive.

I dropped the flamethrower to the ground, it fell with a loud noise and rolled away from my feet.

"Let it be over," I thought. "... this fruitless struggle. We have a deal." The life I had was gone, if there was no way back, the only road was forward. Into the forest, into the light.

The branches reached out for me, embracing and bringing me closer to the light. Thin vines wrapped themselves around my wrists and burrow into my skin. The white sap that covered the forest began to flow into me. It hurt, extremely bad. The last thing I heard before passing out was the Being whispering soft words at me, saying it would all be alright. And I believed it.

I woke up with the sound of rain. There was thunder in the distance. I opened my eyes slowly.

It took me a moment to realize I was back at the Swamp hideout. I tried to sit up, but the sight of my own hands surprised me. My skin was pure white, unnaturally so. Similar to the mushroom granny, but from my elbows down it turned darker, with a texture like the bark of a tree. I could see my veins running white, and I knew inside of me ran the same white sap that covered the entire forest floor. I flexed my hands, feeling the renewed strength in them. I no longer felt week and tired. My sight and breathing were better as well.

I lifted my hands, touching my face, something felt different. I felt my way higher up and my hands touched small pointy protrusions on my crown and the side of my head. I was surprised and relieved to feel I had a decent amount of hair again.

I managed to get up, my head was still pounding. I was nervous for a moment, but a presence in the back of my mind, like a soft murmur, assured me it would go away in a bit. Just like that, I was aware of the Other within me.

It’s not as if I have creature inside me, is more like having a direct line of contact and communication. It feels what I feel, sees what I see, and in return, I have its knowledge and access to the vast network of beings that encompass the forest. It's not as intrusive as one would think.

I heard a noise at the door and saw a shadow run away through the window. I took trembling steps forward it and opened the door to find a bundle of clothes. It was a welcome gift since I wasn’t in the mood of walking around naked in the swamp. From the Being, I gleaned that the contents of the bundle were gathered for me by the savages from hideouts and the village basements.

I found dark green pants and brown boots that were extremely familiar, army issued. A brown shirt and black suspenders. And a long, dark grey coat, not unlike the one I had been wearing so far. Under all of that, I was pleasantly surprised to find my straw hat, a little worse for wear but still useful. I had grown attached to it in a way, I guess I associate it with an armor of sorts.

I put them on and walked out. It looked to be early morning. I squinted at the bright light and walked up to the well to drink some water since my throat felt dry. There, on the water's reflection, I saw what I had become. My skin was indeed unnaturally white, but my complexion seemed healthy, definitely healthier than I looked before. My face was no longer twisted and deformed, but back to the way I used to look. The one striking difference being my now pitch-black eyes. No whites, only shiny black. It was... disconcerting but not more than anything else, and I could see just fine, even better than before in fact.

I also took in the protrusions on my head. They look something like antlers but made out of a wood-like material. The Being let me know all of my bones were made of it and were stronger than they were before. The small pointy horns form a sort of crown around my head, two longer ones protrude from the sides, curling down and outwards. They're not ugly or heavy, and I can still use my hat comfortably.

Turning my head to the side I noticed small protrusions on my neck. Once, when I was a kid, my father took me deer hunting, on that trip, I saw the most beautiful mushrooms, shaped like little umbrellas, red on top and white below. On my neck, almost like gills, were now something very much like them.

Instantly I was made aware they would fulfill two main functions; one, they would allow me to breathe any poisonous gas in the forest, and two, they would release pheromones that would make the creatures of the forest and even outsiders more likely to listen to me and do as I wish.

As the Being said, I am not back to normal, but I’m definitely something better than I was before.

I headed up to the next-door building, where the workbench was. There was one particular creature, bound to the both of us, that I wanted to help. I took a potato from a wardrobe, I held it and the “other inside” told me what to do. I pierced the vegetable with my fingers and that same white sap began to flow into it, changing its color to bright red. It would help the kid.

I headed to the small toxic room, opened the metal door, and saw the little musician trying to drag his huge, disfigured shape away from me in fear.

I went inside, knowing the toxic gas wouldn't hurt me now, and kneeled in front of him. I opened my mouth and was pleased to hear the sound of my own voice. It was rough at first but loud enough for him to listen.

"Hey, it's me, don't worry..." I said trying to look nonthreatening.

"You... You look different, mister...When you were gone all day and night I was sure you wouldn't come back..." he sounded relieved and curious. "And you can talk again! You sound good, not sick anymore... Did you see a doctor? Could... could he maybe see me too?"

"No more doctors here I'm afraid. But I have medicine I can give you. You could go back to the way you were before. Would you like that?"

He nodded frantically, made to grab my hands but thought better of it. "P-please! Please I beg you! I want to be healthy like you."

The kid broke my heart. I smiled and nodded, reaching out to grab his hand on mine. He flinched at first, he was trembling like a leaf. There was no point in letting him keep mutating like his parents. I didn’t need another chomper, but I could use a little musician. A stroke of inspiration from a children's story.

"Very well, all you need to do is eat this potato and you will go to sleep. When you wake up, you'll be back good as new," I assured him, showing him the red vegetable.

"Oh! Thank you, m-mister! You're so k-kind! But I don't have... anything. Nothing I can... give you..." he panicked for a second before I managed to get his attention back.

"I don't need you to give me anything in return. I'll only ask for a favor. When you wake up, there will be a white small tree outside of this room. I want you to take the hatchet from the workbench and chop it down for wood. Then use that wood to make a new violin. A human spider will bring you its thread so you may use it for the strings. She won't hurt you, no creature in the woods will, it's all part of the medicine," I explained kindly.

"You... You want me to make a new violin?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes. And when you finish it, I want you to do me a favor. And this is very important," I saw him lean forward in rapt attention. "Every time you see a stranger, someone who doesn't belong in the woods, I want you to befriend them and play them a tune with your new violin. Could you do that for me?"

"Y-yes! Of course!! I'll play for them, I'll play for anyone you want me to," he said excitedly.

"Very well, then eat up. I'll leave you some clothes on the table. And we'll see each other back in the forest, little musician. The road will be open once again, you may even visit your parents. I promise they won't be angry anymore," I said, handing him the potato and getting up.

"Y-you're amazing, m-mister s-sir! T-th-thank you!" he said at my retreating figure, visibly excited.

The kid had no idea the music he'll play with that particular instrument will make people want to reach the Being. Like the Call, it will guide them straight into Blissful Sleep. Into its warmth. He'll be like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, luring them deeper into the forest, instead of out. Much more useful that way.

Next, I went back to the Radio Tower. There was something I needed to make right.

The place was just as dark as I remembered it, but I was pleased to discover I could see better in the dark, almost as good as if there was bright daylight.

I made my way to the big room with all the nests. The crying Banshee was still there, sobbing over her dead babies. I approached her, standing by her side and looking down at them.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know before. You were simply doing what you were told to do, and I hurt your children."

She looked down at me with her small beady eyes, up close they're not so ugly a creature. They're the Being's creation with a human and a raven's remains. I could see then, the way their cells are bound to each other into one new creature. To create from death, to bring forward life... What a powerful gift has been given to me.

I kneeled in front of the nest and reached out for the baby bird. I concentrated on the energy flowing through the forest, to the Being, and searched for it amongst all the others who were part of it. It felt like plucking an apple from a tree... I took a deep breath and exhaled spores from my lungs. I breathed life into it once more.

Slowly the little birds stirred awake, their big eyes winking. I heard the mother kneeling next to me, she reached for her children, opening and closing her beak making little joyful sounds.

The baby Banshees burrowed themselves under her wings for warmth. I got up and gave them some space. I walked up to the other nests, bringing all the little birds back to life. I even brought the other two grown Banshees back from the ashes.

Through the bond I share with them I felt their joy at having their young back alive and well. Strange how something that used to cause me terror, now seemed so... human... It is, I suppose, in a way.

By the time I brought the last child back I was feeling the strain of reaching into the source and pulling energy out of it. I made my way to the little side room and dropped down on the dusty bed, completely exhausted, falling asleep immediately.

I woke up feeling rested and warm. I sat up and realized that I was surrounded by the little baby Banshees, who were happily resting in the bed next to me, keeping me warm.

It made me laugh, such little ugly babies, but I felt their affection, and I pated their bald heads softly. They nuzzled me and immediately remind me of the Wolf... I wasn’t sure I would be a welcomed sight to him, but I had to try. To at least tell him what I was now.

So, I got up, said goodbye to the birds, and went out to the forest line. I placed a hand over the roots of a tree and reached for the Being's connection to all the living creatures in the forest.

It took me no time to find him, I saw him in my mind, trekking near the train tracks on the Old Woods. I opened up a path to him and headed back the way I never thought I would be returning to. To him... Because I missed him, because I care about him, because regardless of how much of a jerk and an ugly mess I am, he still looked at me with the same devilish grin on his face. Because strangely enough, we match... A mate he said once... A comrade in arms in this new world of ours.

So, I took a breath and started walking out of the swamp. It was a good 3-hour walk, luckily I no longer get easily tired anymore and my joints don't ache.

I found him near his camp on the Silent Forest. I walked up to the clearing, fixing my coat and the straw hat on my head.

From afar I saw him lift his head and sniff the air, no doubt catching my scent.

"Meat? Is that you?" he asked, keeping his distance.

I cleared my throat, "Yes. Well... for the most part. It's me."

My voice sounded raspy from disuse, alien even to myself. Under the hood, I saw his ears twitch, at the sound of it. He was restless but stood his ground.

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were going back to your precious home?"

"Turns out you were right. There is no way out of the Darkwoods..." I said looking down at my hands, showing them to him. "So, I took the forest in... I am one with it, and in exchange for my protection it will let me be."

I couldn’t see his reaction but I heard him take a step closer.

"Great for you! And what the fuck are you doing here then?" he growled.

I could tell he wasn’t really angry, he wanted to approach, but he was waiting to see my intentions.

"More than once you told me this was your forest. Who else better to help me protect it, than the big bad wolf?" I replied extending my arm forward, open palm. "Come here, you stubborn dog... Aren't you tired?"

He tilted his head to the side, analyzing me. His whole body was trembling with tension, his paws opening and closing. I waited, the Other inside of me bursting with anticipation. I could force him to listen to me, he's a child of the Woods too after all, but I wouldn't. The Wolf decided and stood forward, walking slowly towards me until he stood still in front of me, looking at me with big wide eyes.

"You look like shit, Meat," he said after a minute.

I couldn't help but laugh, probably the first time in months. He laughed too, then let out a small whine and closed the distance between us, placing his head on my right shoulder. I felt him tremble against me and I wrapped my arms around him, inside of his coat, breathing in the familiar scent of wet fur and leather.

"My Wolf... From all the creatures the woods made, you are the one I like best... One hell of a bastard, after my own heart. I won't ask for less bloodshed, I know now it's in your very nature, but I would like to... put it to good use. The child needs food, the forest will grow. It's hungry for knowledge. We must bring others to it, and keep outsiders from harming it," I explained, tracing circles on his back. "Help me keep the woods alive. No harm will ever come to you if you do, if you're ever wounded I'll bring your body back to life as mine does. I promise. It promises..."

"No need to oversell it, Meat. It's been... boring without you running around the woods, getting into trouble."

It's been lonely, he meant. No need to say it. I didn’t feel lonely anymore. We were all connected through the roots, I felt the energy pulsing through the forest. All the living creatures and the dead. I couldn't explain it and he didn't need to know then, but I showed him later. The two of us have time, all the time in the world in fact. I'll live as long as the woods stand. And I'll make sure they live forever.

"We'll have to change that then," I said pushing his hood back and stroking his cheek.

He nuzzled my neck, taking a deep breath.

"You no longer smell like me..." he muttered so quietly I almost missed it.

"I'm sure we can find ways to change that as well," I answered smiling at the childish resentment in his voice.

He said nothing, but after a moment of silence, he pulled back, frowning at the woods behind me. "I don't know why I wanted her... But I wanted so bad..."

I nodded, "I know. You wanted it for the same reason I only wished to go home, even if there was nothing much to go back to. It...it doesn't matter now," I shook the thought away. The memories of the dream and my flat were still too fresh in my mind.

He looked back at me, taking stock of my actual features and new additions.

"You're one resilient bastard aren't you, Meat? I've heard, from villagers scattered through the forest, of a scarecrow lurking between the trees, silently taking the lives of everyone who crossed him... You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

I hummed, smiling. "The villagers in the quarry killed someone they shouldn't have... I brought her back, but not before I hunted every last one of them down... You were right about that too, it is fun."

He brightened at that, ears perked up and tail swaying.

"Will you hunt with me then, my comrade Wolf?" I asked bringing him close again, burying my face on his chest, soaking in the warmth of his fur, mindless of my straw hat that fell to the ground behind me.

I heard a faint hum in the back of his throat. "The Wolf and the Scarecrow... It doesn't sound quite bad, does it? And we do make a good team. Hehehe I told you the likes of you always crawl back to me."

I lifted my head up and to the side, jamming my antlerlike crown on his cheek. I heard a small whine come from the taller man.

"There's no one like me anymore, dear... Just you wait and see."

The Wolf leaned down, softly whimpering, and licked my cheek and the corner of my mouth, "I can't wait, my Scarecrow."

It's good to have his company back. From then on things have changed between the two of us. I am more than capable of putting him in his place now and even though he struggled to deal with it at first, it quickly became something of an interesting dynamic.

And he soon got to see what I can do, as I work on strengthening the walls surrounding the Darkwoods, covering the "trees" with fire-resistant sclerotia, tightening the spaces between them like an impenetrable wall, as well as slowly beginning pushing forward to expand the Being's reach. Below at first, the roots underneath the forest stretch like arms, burrowing below ground. Breaching first on basements and cellars, growing mycelia in the dark, soaking up nutrients, and releasing spores into the air, which will begin to infect more beings into heeding the call of the woods. By the time anyone notices something is wrong, it will be too late.

I’ve raised all manner of creatures, all my previous enemies who now see me as one of their own. They listen and obey, becoming slightly smarter, learning from the knowledge from my previous life. I infect them with part of me, in a way...

I took the Wolf to the radio tower to check on the nests. He was nervous at first, hackles raised, but I calmed him down, as well as the protective Banshees. He grunted at me for doing so, but curiously watched as I approached the big birdlike creatures, who in turn let me check on their young. They're quickly growing strong and soon they'll be ready to leave the nests. Their mothers came close to me, grating their beaks in a show of affection and gratefulness, as well as a high-pitched murmuring.

I went back to my partner's side and explained to him how the creatures will be instrumental in the expansion, as they can take out all electric light, leaving whole communities in the dark, where they'll be most vulnerable. Needless to say, he appreciated the ruthlessness of my plans. I only find them efficient, as I did before, but can't deny is nice to have someone appreciate my "unsavory" measures for once. Maybe this was what I was supposed to do all along, help a new entity take over the world... A new beginning.

It's not always easy, sometimes it takes a toll on me. Those days I crawl into bed, on a cottage near the center of the forest, linked to the Being by strong underground branches. The Wolf made a point to decorate it, hanging more fairy lights on the walls and dragging the Huntsman's trophies all the way there. He still keeps his house on the Old Woods, breeding strong deadly hounds for me, but spends most of his time by my side.

There I fall asleep on a soft warm bed covered in piles of furs he got me from those nasty elks.

Sooner or later the Wolf joins me, wrapping me up in a soft cocoon, one the Other inside of me seems to relish in. He nuzzles and licks me, if I let him he grows playful and affectionate.

It's strange and new now, being connected to it all... I feel his fierce attachment, his hunger... Like an electric current running through my skin. There's no fear, no doubt, no hatred... only life. And I’m home now. Soon, everyone else will join us, in the deep dark woods.


End file.
